BAGHDAD, March 30: A soldier of the US-led occupation forces was killed by a roadside bomb in western Iraq on Tuesday and at least four people were hurt in clashes between jobless demonstrators and Spanish troops and police in Najaf.

An official said a second soldier was also wounded in the bombing near the western town of Ramadi. He declined to specify the soldiers' nationalities, although the region is patrolled by US troops.

The attack came a day after a soldier was killed and another wounded when their vehicle ran off the road during an attack on their convoy in the same area. In Najaf, hundreds of jobless protesters clashed with Spanish soldiers and Iraqi police.

Two policemen, a Spanish soldier and two demonstrators were hurt when the protesters attacked the governor's office and police cars with rocks. However, a defence ministry spokesman in Madrid denied any Spanish soldier had been wounded.

Police arrested 30 demonstrators who were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, said Najaf police chief General Ibrahim Mohammed. A total of 1,300 Spanish troops are deployed in Iraq. -AFP