Nine US soldiers were killed Monday when a suicide car bomb struck near their patrol base in Diyala province, the US military said in a statement, cited by CNN.

Twenty other US soldiers and one Iraqi civilian were wounded in the attack, the statement said.

In a separate incident, the military reported a US soldier was killed in Muqtadya, northeast of Baghdad, by a roadside bomb.

Also Monday, a suicide car bomber targeted a gathering of police vehicles in Baquba, killing six police officers, including a police general, a Diyala province police official said.

In a separate development Democratic House and Senate leaders agreed on legislation that requires US combat troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later.

President Bush reiterated he will veto any legislation with a withdrawal timetable.

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