Baghdad – The U.S. military investigation into the ambush near Baghdad which has left five dead and three U.S. soldiers missing includes the question of why there were apparently only two vehicles in what is known to be a dangerous area, U.S. officials here say.

Four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi Army interpreter were killed in the huge explosion which left the two Humvees in flames before dawn on Saturday. Three other U.S. soldiers, possibly wounded, are missing, prompting an ongoing search by thousands of troops. U.S. Troops on operations in the area south of Baghdad normally travel in convoys of at least three Humvees for security reasons.

Some U.S. military operations were suspended on Sunday as troops were diverted to the search for the missing soldiers.

U.S. military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said about 4,000 troops on the ground and in the air were searching the area near Mahmudiya, surrounded by dense palm groves. The area is known as an al-Qaeda stronghold.

An al-Qaeda-linked group, the Islamic State in Iraq, claims it is holding the missing soldiers but hasn’t offered proof.
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