Baghdad, July 25, SPA -- A U.S. soldier was killed Monday whena roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle near Samarranorth of Baghdad, the U.S. command said. The victim, whose name was not released, was assigned tothe U.S. Army's Task Force Liberty which is responsible forsecurity in a large area of the infamous Sunni Triangle,which is the main center of the insurgency. As of Sunday, at least 1,777 members of the U.S. militaryhad died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003,according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,365 diedas a result of hostile action. The figures include fivemilitary civilians. The AP count is seven higher than the Defense Department'stally as of the last update Friday.--SPA1415 Local Time 1115 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/279052