3 soldiers from Maine are injured in attack

Three Maine soldiers were injured when their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq, officials said yesterday.

The attack early Sunday in Mosul injured three members of the 133d Engineer Battalion of the Maine Army National Guard, according to a statement by Governor John Baldacci and Maine National Guard Adjutant General John W. Libby.

The attack came five days after a suicide bomber killed two members of the same battalion and injured 13 others from the unit at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul. The explosion killed a total of 22 people as they gathered for lunch in a dining tent.

In Sunday's attack, two of the wounded soldiers were treated and returned to duty, according to the statement. The third soldier was listed as "very serious" and was evacuated to a hospital in Germany.

The families of the wounded soldiers have been notified of the attack, but no further details were available.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with these brave soldiers and their families," Baldacci said in a statement. "We offer our highest respect and gratitude to all those serving overseas and their families."

The battalion's 500 members have been stationed in Mosul since February and are rebuilding the region's roads and buildings.

The two Mainers killed in last week's bombing were Sergeant Lynn R. Poulin Sr., 47, of Freedom, and Specialist Thomas Dostie, 20, of Somerville. The explosion also injured 13 members of the battalion, six of whom were from Maine and seven from New York who were attached to the unit.