Three U.S. soldiers killed in Basra: U.S. military

BAGHDAD, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Three U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday in Iraq's southern province of Basra, a U.S. military statement said on Friday.

Three Multi-National Division-South soldiers were killed when the U.S. Contingency Operating Base Basra was attacked by indirect fire at approximately 9:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Thursday, said the statement.

The U.S. military said the names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin and the incident is under investigation.

It's rare for U.S. forces to be attacked in the relatively calm southern Iraq area. It is the biggest casualty the U.S. military suffered in a single attack after U.S. combat forces withdrew from Iraqi cities and towns before June 30 deadline.