The U.S. military in Iraq says a roadside bomb has killed three American soldiers.

The military says the blast occurred Friday, in Babil province, south of the capital, Baghdad.

Separately, the military said American troops killed at least three insurgents and detained three others in a clash north of the capital.

A military statement issued Friday, said the incident occurred Thursday near Samarra, 100 kilometers north of the capital. The military said coalition soldiers came under attack after they detained three insurgents carrying roadside bombs.

An image grab from an undated video released on the US Department of Defence website showing Al-Qaeda's Iraq frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at an undisclosed location in Iraq

Meanwhile, a U.S. military spokesman says al-Qaida's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is closer to being captured.

U.S. Major General Rick Lynch made the remark Thursday in Baghdad, while showing reporters unedited video of Zarqawi struggling to fire an automatic weapon. He said U.S. troops discovered the video during a raid on a terrorist safe house.

In Washington Thursday, President Bush said the U.S. goal in Iraq is to have an ally in the war on terror and to help the country establish an Iraqi-style democracy. He said a democratic Iraq will be a major blow - "to the terrorists who hate democracy."