Unidentified attackers killed a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi interpreter with a roadside bomb as they were carrying out a patrol west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Monday. The incident took place Saturday evening, as a group of soldiers were moving through Abu Ghraib city on the western outskirts of the capital. "A Task Force 1st Armored Division soldier and an Iraqi interpreter were killed and three other soldiers were wounded during an (improvised explosive device) attack on March 21," a statement from the U.S. military said. The deaths raise to 396 the number of U.S. soldiers and Marines killed in action since American forces invaded Iraq. Improvised explosive devices, in which explosive charges are hidden in soft drink cans, animal carcasses or other disguises and wired to a simple detonator, have become the most common and deadly technique used by resistance fighters to attack occupation forces. **PHOTO CAPTION*** US soldiers secure the area around a crossroad in central Baghdad following a blast. (AFP/Sabah Arar)