BAGHDAD - Six American soldiers were wounded in Iraq on July 1 and a group of visiting senators said there could be more attacks on US troops after a fatal blast at a mosque fuelled Muslim anger with the occupying forces.

　　"The war is still on, the risks are still there and casualties could well be taken," said Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia.

　　There were no signs of easing tensions after three attacks injured the six US troops. Attacks on occupying forces have killed 22 US and six British soldiers since May 1.

　　An unexplained explosion damaged a mosque in the already tense town of Falluja, dominated by minority Sunni Muslims. The blast killed nine people, including the Imam.

　　In line with the sombre tone of the visiting senators, a new poll in the US has found that Americans were more pessimistic about the conflict than when US President George W. Bush said in early May that major fighting in Iraq had ended.

　　A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found the percentage of Americans who said things were going well for US forces in Iraq dropped to 56 per cent from 70 per cent a month ago. That was down from 86 per cent during the week of May 7. Bush said on May 1 that major combat was over.

　　The poll found 37 per cent believed the Bush administration deliberately misled the public about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, up from 31 per cent a month ago.

　　US forces so far have found only conventional weapons but Bush has insisted that Iraq had had weapons of mass destruction.

　　Despite the growing scepticism at home, Bush reiterated that his administration had no intention of having its 150,000 troops chased out of Iraq.

　　"The rise of Iraq, as an example of moderation and democracy and prosperity, is a massive and long-term undertaking," he said. "We will stay on the offensive against the enemy, and all who attack our troops will be met with direct and decisive force."

　　Blast at mosque

　　In Baghdad, three soldiers were hurt near al-Mustansiriyah University when a make-shift bomb exploded by their vehicle, a military spokesman said. Their Iraqi interpreter was missing. Bystanders saw troops drag four people who appeared to be badly wounded from the burning wreck.

　　A US vehicle and an Iraqi car were on fire shortly after the mid-morning blast in central Baghdad, according to a reporter.

　　It was unclear what caused the destruction. A US spokesman said an improvised device had exploded. Some witnesses said an Iraqi car exploded next to the American vehicle, while others said a rocket-propelled grenade was fired.

　　"These explosions are a message to the Americans because they have done nothing for the Iraqi people. There will be explosions," said Mohammad Owdeh, a local resident.

　　Two soldiers in a convoy were wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade near Baghdad airport, the US military said. Another grenade attack, in the town of Samarra, hurt a sixth soldier.

　　In Falluja, a Sunni Muslim stronghold near Baghdad where Americans and Iraqis have clashed before, a US commander denied troops had caused an explosion that locals said killed nine people at a mosque, including the Imam, or prayer leader.

　　The cause of the late-night blast in Falluja, 30 miles (50km) west of the capital, was a mystery.

　　Bodies were pulled from debris around the mosque, and local people said the Imam, Sheikh Laith Khalil, died of his wounds on July 1, taking the death toll to nine and raising already high tensions in the town.

　　The local US commander denied allegations a US aircraft or rocket caused the damage, and local people said the buildings had not been used to store explosives.

　　Thousands of Iraqis chanted angry slogans as they buried the dead: "America is the enemy of God! Avenge the killings!"

　　Paul Bremer, in charge of the US-led authority running Iraq, blamed professional commandos from Saddam Hussein's old power structure for the recent attacks on US and British troops, and vowed to crush them and capture Saddam himself.

　　"Those few remaining individuals who have refused to fit into the new Iraq are becoming desperate," Bremer said. "They are alienating the rest of the population."

　　He dismissed suggestions the violence reflected a wider discontent with US rule and insisted his Provisional Authority was making great strides in restoring services and sovereignty.

　　Senator Warner, head of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, said there was no need for more American troops in Iraq for now. But Senator Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said: "Things could get worse before they get better."