BAGHDAD, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Three Iraqi soldiers were killed and two others wounded on Thursday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in west of the country, a local police source said.

    "A roadside bomb went off around midday when an Iraqi army patrol passed by, in Heet City, 160 km west of Baghdad, killing three soldiers and wounding two others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers opened fire randomly immediately after the attack.

    Insurgents frequently attack the Iraqi security forces, accusing them of collaborating with U.S. occupation forces.