New probe into US killing of civilians in Iraq

BAGHDAD – The US military has ordered an investigation into US forces who killed Iraqi civilians last week, the latest in a series of allegations of abuse and indiscriminate shootings that has mired its three-year occupation of Iraq.

The investigation relates to an incident on March 15 in the village of Al Bu Seifa, near Balad north of Baghdad, and comes hot on the heels of a US Navy criminal probe into reports that marines intentionally shot 15 civilians dead near the western town of Haditha last year. The US military says four civilians – two women, a child, and a man – were killed in the early hours of last Wednesday when troops, looking for an al Qaeda suspect, came under fire as they raided a house.Iraqi police say 11 civilians were killed – including five women and four children.”There is an investigation directed by the commander of the multinational force into the discrepancy between the numbers and to determine the facts,” US Lieutenant-Colonel Barry Johnson told AFP yesterday.”They attacked the house of Fayez Khairat Khalaf Turfa, and they killed 11 people, among them five women, two men, four children, before they dynamited the house and burned three cars,” a local police officer who declined to be named said at the time.An AFP photographer witnessed locals cradling the bodies of dead children, some clearly only a few years old, and laying out their bodies in an emotional burial ceremony.”Troops were engaged by enemy fire as they approached the building, Coalition Forces returned fire utilising both air and ground assets,” according to US spokesman Major Tim Keefe.”There was one enemy killed, two women and one child were also killed in the firefight,” he said, adding that the building and one vehicle were destroyed.The wanted al Qaeda suspect was taken into custody, Keefe said.”The American soldiers were dropped by helicopter around 2:30am.They entered the house, blindfolded the family.When they left they blew up the house,” said neighbour Ahmed Zedan.Local medics said the bodies of those killed had bullet wounds to the head.US forces have repeatedly been accused of using excessive force in counter-insurgency operations, and human rights organisations have urged the military to take “all feasible precautions” to minimise civilian casualties.Civilians have also fallen victim to soldiers, fearful of suicide bombers, who have opened fire on approaching vehicles.The most publicised such incident took place in March 2005 when US troops shot dead an Italian secret service agent, Nicola Calipari, at a checkpoint as he escorted a just-released hostage, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, to Baghdad airport.US and Italian authorities conducted a joint inquiry into the shooting, but were unable to reach agreement on key details of what had happened.The Italian government blamed Calipari’s death on a hastily prepared roadblock manned by jumpy, inexperienced US soldiers lacking proper rules of engagement.Meanwhile, the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into allegations that US Marines deliberately killed 15 civilians near Haditha on November 19 after their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.- Nampa-AFPThe US military says four civilians – two women, a child, and a man – were killed in the early hours of last Wednesday when troops, looking for an al Qaeda suspect, came under fire as they raided a house.Iraqi police say 11 civilians were killed – including five women and four children.”There is an investigation directed by the commander of the multinational force into the discrepancy between the numbers and to determine the facts,” US Lieutenant-Colonel Barry Johnson told AFP yesterday.”They attacked the house of Fayez Khairat Khalaf Turfa, and they killed 11 people, among them five women, two men, four children, before they dynamited the house and burned three cars,” a local police officer who declined to be named said at the time.An AFP photographer witnessed locals cradling the bodies of dead children, some clearly only a few years old, and laying out their bodies in an emotional burial ceremony.”Troops were engaged by enemy fire as they approached the building, Coalition Forces returned fire utilising both air and ground assets,” according to US spokesman Major Tim Keefe.”There was one enemy killed, two women and one child were also killed in the firefight,” he said, adding that the building and one vehicle were destroyed.The wanted al Qaeda suspect was taken into custody, Keefe said.”The American soldiers were dropped by helicopter around 2:30am.They entered the house, blindfolded the family.When they left they blew up the house,” said neighbour Ahmed Zedan.Local medics said the bodies of those killed had bullet wounds to the head.US forces have repeatedly been accused of using excessive force in counter-insurgency operations, and human rights organisations have urged the military to take “all feasible precautions” to minimise civilian casualties.Civilians have also fallen victim to soldiers, fearful of suicide bombers, who have opened fire on approaching vehicles.The most publicised such incident took place in March 2005 when US troops shot dead an Italian secret service agent, Nicola Calipari, at a checkpoint as he escorted a just-released hostage, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, to Baghdad airport.US and Italian authorities conducted a joint inquiry into the shooting, but were unable to reach agreement on key details of what had happened.The Italian government blamed Calipari’s death on a hastily prepared roadblock manned by jumpy, inexperienced US soldiers lacking proper rules of engagement.Meanwhile, the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into allegations that US Marines deliberately killed 15 civilians near Haditha on November 19 after their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.- Nampa-AFP