KIEV, Jan 9: Seven Ukrainian soldiers serving in the US-led coalition in Iraq were killed in an explosion, the defence ministry said on Sunday. The ministry's press service said it could not immediately provide any other information.

Ukraine is the fourth-largest contributor of troops to the US-led war effort, with a 1,650-strong contingent serving in Iraq. Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk, who visited the troops to celebrate Orthodox Christmas last week, has said that Ukraine planned a complete withdrawal by year's end.

The deployment is unpopular in this ex-Soviet republic. Nine Ukrainian soldiers have died in Iraq, including three in combat, and more than 20 have been wounded.

US SOLDIER: A US soldier was killed in a bomb explosion while he was on patrol in Baghdad on Sunday, the military said. "A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed at about 9 am (0600 GMT) on January 9 after a patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device," it said in a statement. -AFP