Iraqi Soldier Reportedly Kills 2 G.I.’s

By Sam Dagher/NYTimes:

Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commander of American troops in northern Iraq, said it began when two platoons of American soldiers stopped at a combat outpost staffed by Iraqi soldiers. Two American lieutenants went inside to an office to speak with an Iraqi captain while soldiers from both sides waited outside.

Suddenly, General Hertling said, an Iraqi soldier with an AK-47 that was equipped with a 70-round drum walked up to the group of soldiers, said something to an Iraqi soldier and then shot one American soldier in the head and another in the stomach. He then began spraying bullets in all directions, the general said, at which point the Americans shot him dead. One American soldier died on the spot, and the other later died from his wounds.

General Hertling said the shooting remained under investigation by both sides. He declined to say what the Iraqi assailant had said before he began shooting.

An Iraqi Army officer and two soldiers who witnessed the altercation provided a more detailed account, one they told on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from their commanders.

They said that an American military patrol stopped Wednesday afternoon to inspect a post staffed by Iraqi soldiers in the predominantly Sunni Arab neighborhood of Zanjili, a notoriously violent part of Mosul.

A heated argument ensued between one of the American soldiers and an Iraqi soldier identified as Barzan Mohammed Abdullah, prompting the American to curse the Iraqi, spit in his face and slap him, the Iraqis said. The Iraqi soldier then opened fire on the Americans, they said, and other American soldiers responded with a barrage of fire at the Iraqi.