(AKI) - Al-Qaeda-led insurgent group, the Islamic State of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack which killed nine US servicemen on Monday. "God guided us in the use of new explosive tecnhiques, so we were able to hit the enemy objective," read a statement by the terrorist formation, posted to the Internet. The statement from the Islamic State claims two suicide bombers carried out the attacks at a patrol in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, and that twenty soldiers were killed. The message appeared on a website frequently used for comuniques from militants, but its authenticity was not independently confirmed. According to the coalition forces, 20 US soldiers and several civilians were wounded in the attack on soldiers of Task Force Lightning in Diyala. The province has seen fierce fighting involving US and Iraqi troops, Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias. The use of a suicide bomber against US forces is unusual. In a bid to avoid American firepower, insurgents generally favour hit-and-run ambushes or roadside bombs against US troops.