Five American soldiers were killed and two others wounded today when a suicide attacker slammed a truck full of explosives into a Mosul police office. Two Iraqi police were also wounded in the attack, which reportedly involved over 200 pounds of explosives.

The attack was the single deadliest incident for US troops in the nation since March of last year, and the latest in a growing string of attacks which have threatened to end the relative calm in Iraq and return the nation to its previous violence.

Recent reports point to Mosul, already the hotbed for sectarian strife, getting even worse, as militants in the area have seriously curbed religious celebrations, particularly among non-Sunnis. US commander General Ray Odierno said yesterday that he believes US combat forces will ignore the June 30 deadline to leave Iraq’s cities, citing the troubles in Mosul among the reasons.

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