Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq 

    BAGHDAD, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb explosion near his patrol in Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Saturday.

    The soldier died of wounds sustained from the blast that struck his vehicle at about 3:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Friday, a military statement said, without providing further details about the incident.

    The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, the statement said.

    About 4,227 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, according to media count based on Pentagon figures.