May 31 (Bloomberg) -- Three U.S. soldiers were killed in attacks near the Iraqi cities of Kufa and Baghdad, the U.S. military command said.

One soldier died when his patrol was ambushed by gunmen near Kufa, south of Baghdad, the command said in an e-mailed statement. The second was killed nearby when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his tank, it said. Another soldier died and two were wounded south of Baghdad when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb, the military said. The three incidents took place late yesterday and involved soldiers from the 1st Armored Division.

The coalition continues to fight an insurgency in Shiite Muslim areas of Iraq. The insurgents also have targeted civilian institutions and members of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council. Clashes have continued around Kufa and near Najaf between U.S. forces and fighters loyal to Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al- Sadr.

The cleric last week agreed with Shiite leaders in Najaf to withdraw militia from the city and allow Iraqi police to take control. U.S. forces have been fighting the militia since April in Najaf and Kufa and in Baghdad's Sadr City district.

U.S. President George W. Bush last week warned that violence may increase with the approach of the June 30 handover of power by the U.S.-led coalition. In preparation for the handover, the council on Friday chose Iyad Allawi, a Shiite Muslim, as prime minister of an interim government. The top United Nations envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, accepted the decision.

A Governing Council meeting scheduled for today to choose a president was postponed until tomorrow after the council and the coalition failed to agree who should hold the post, Agence France- Presse reported, citing council members.

The top candidates are tribal chief Ghazi al-Yawar, who has the council's backing, and former Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi, who is supported by the U.S. and Brahimi, AFP reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 31, 2004 05:19 EDT