One American soldier was killed and four others were injured in fighting with insurgents in Salahudin province north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Friday, Xinhua reported.

  

The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the soldiers' unit was conducting combat operations and clashing with "enemy forces" in the town of Duluiyah, 90 km north of Baghdad, the military said in a statement without providing more details about the incident, but it said "the soldiers' name will not be released until 24 hours after next of kin notification."

  

The Sunni Arab town of Duluiyah has witnessed increasing tensions between villagers backed by Iraqi security forces and al- Qaida militants who claim the area part of their self-styled Islamic state in Iraq.

  

The latest death brings the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq to about 4,295 since the Iraq war broke out in March 2003, according to media count based on Pentagon figures.