U.S. Soldiers Kill Three Shopping Iraqis
5 minutes ago
BAGHDAD - A U.S. patrol opened fire Monday on a group of people in Baghdad's gun market, killing three, after the soldiers apparently mistook the gunfire of customers testing weapons for an attack, a witness and an Iraqi police officer said.
Four people also were wounded, hospital and police officials said. The dead included an 11-year-old boy.
In Iraq (news - web sites), it is legal for a family to own one gun for self-defense. That weapon is usually an AK-47 assault rifle. The gun market, however, is illegal and has been raided repeatedly by U.S. soldiers, who have tried to close it down.
Also Monday, two U.S. soldiers were killed in separate incidents near the town of Balad, 45 miles north of Baghdad, the military said.