August 6, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 7, 1424

BAGHDAD, Aug 5: A US civilian contractor was killed in a blast in Iraq on Tuesday while three US soldiers and three Iraqi policemen were wounded in a separate rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack.

The death of the American, who was killed when his vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device near Saddam hometown of Tikrit, was believed to be the first death of a US civilian since May 1.

It was not clear if the contractor was targeted by assailants or if he accidentally hit the explosive.

The three US soldiers and three Iraqi police officers were cut down in an RPG attack against the police station in Fallujah west of Baghdad.

A 15-year-old child was also wounded shortly after the attack, struck by a bullet when the US convoy raced out of the station to evacuate the wounded.

“Three soldiers were hit, and three policemen were injured,” police officer Mohammed Abdel Zaki, who was in the station when it was attacked.—AFP