Three US soldiers were killed near the town of Samarra in the north of Baghdad on Wednesday, the US military said.

A military vehicle was destroyed in the blast that occurred at about 9 am (0600 GMT) near the town of Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, a military statement said.

Over 200 US soldiers have been killed by guerillas in Iraq since US President George W. Bush declared the major combat over on May 1.

The deadly attack was the latest in a series of rampant assaults targeting US forces and their collaborators following the capture of the ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. 

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2003)