Iraq PM Vows to Prosecute US Troops After Fatal Raid

First time Iraq has threatened prosecution against American soldiers
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 27, 2009 10:18 AM CDT
Iraq PM Vows to Prosecute US Troops After Fatal Raid
Local tribal members gather for the funeral of two people killed in a US military raid in Kut, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 27, 2009.   (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq’s prime minister is threatening the country’s first prosecution of US troops after two Iraqis were killed yesterday morning in a US raid, the Washington Post reports. Nouri al-Maliki said the raid violated a security agreement that bans unilateral American action; the US says Iraq’s military had approved the move. The case stands to raise US-Iraqi tensions amid a surge in militant attacks.

Iraq’s government said it was holding two Iraqi military officials who’d approved the raid without getting their commanders’ go-ahead. In the incident, American troops in the early morning searched the residence of an Iraqi captain, who was not home. His wife screamed and two relatives, one armed, approached the Americans, who opened fire and hit both.
(More US military stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X