American soldiers killed six Iraqi security personnel on Wednesday, Iraqi police said, in what the U.S. military said was a mistake. Members of the Iraqi police and army, and a neighbourhood patrol group, fired warning shots in the air when an American boat passed along the Tigris River near their checkpoint close to the town of Tarmiya just north of Baghdad, Iraqi police said, according to Reuters.
"The Iraqis fired into the air, not knowing it was a U.S. boat. The U.S. soldiers returned fire and called in air support, and six Iraqis were killed and 10 others injured," said a police source.
On its part, the U.S. military said there had been an exchange of fire between American forces and Iraqi security forces and the Iraqis suffered casualties. The U.S. military confirmed their aircraft had been involved.
The U.S. soldiers had been conducting operations against suspected al Qaeda members.
