BAGHDAD — An American Army sergeant shot and killed five fellow soldiers Monday following an altercation at a military counseling center in Iraq, officials said. The attack drew attention to the issues of combat stress and morale among soldiers serving multiple combat tours over six years of war.

The suspect had been disarmed after an incident at the center but returned with another weapon, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the shootings was ongoing.

Attacks on fellow soldiers, known as fraggings, were not uncommon during the Vietnam War but are believed to be rare in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A brief U.S. military statement said the assailant was arrested following the 2 p.m. shooting at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city's international airport.

The military statement in Baghdad said nobody else was hurt, but military officials in Washington said one person was wounded. The names of the victims and shooter were not released.

Pentagon officials said the shooting happened at a stress clinic, where troops can go for help with the stresses of combat or personal issues.