Replies

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Three soldiers from the Stryker Brigade Combat Team were killed in an accident during a combat patrol in Iraq Sunday night, ABC News reports. A fourth soldier was injured.

The accident occurred after an embankment on an unimproved road collapsed, causing two Stryker infantry carrier vehicles to roll over into a canal. ABC News says it was not a result of hostile fire.

Heavy rainfall in the area might have been a cause, but the Army is still investigating.

The names of those killed have not been released.

Unit First Of Its Kind

The light-armored Stryker Brigade is the first of its kind in the military, designed to be mobile and get troops to the hot spots fast.

The brigade, composed of 3,300 soldiers, is fully computerized and connected to the Internet as they travel.

The Stryker resembles the light-armored vehicles used by the Marines for decades. But the Strykers have thicker armor. And before leaving Kuwait for Iraq last week, the Army installed what's called "slat" armor designed to detonate rocket-propelled grenades before they hit the vehicle.

Computers inside give soldiers a detailed map of enemy positions. A sophisticated gun system has optical and infrared cameras to target the enemy.

Although it's primarily a troop-mover, the Stryker can pack an offensive punch. It can be equipped with automatic grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles and 50-caliber machine guns.

The Stryker team will be deployed in Iraq for at least a year.