CNN BREAKING NEWS: U.S. TROOPS MISTAKENLY KILL 6 IRAQI SOLDIERS

Mistaken-fire incident leaves 6 Iraqi troops dead

NEW: Three police, two soldiers, one Awakening Council member killed
Iraqi troops mistakenly fire on U.S. patrol boat; U.S. copter fires back
Incident occurs in Sunni Arab town north of Baghdad

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/03/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces killed at least six Iraqi security troops after Iraqi personnel mistakenly fired on an American patrol boat north of Baghdad on Wednesday, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

Ten people were also wounded in the firefight, which occurred at an Iraqi checkpoint along the Tigris River north of the Sunni Arab town of Tarmiya. The checkpoint was manned by Iraqi security forces and Awakening Council members.

The Interior Ministry official said the forces mistakenly opened fire on a U.S. military patrol boat. A U.S. chopper returned fire, causing the casualties, the official said.

Another Interior Ministry official said that the incident took place early Wednesday and that the security personnel didn't realize they were firing on U.S. troops.

This official said that among the six who were killed, three were police, two were soldiers and one was an Awakening Council member.

The U.S. military didn't elaborate on the sequence of events but confirmed coalition forces had been conducting operations against al Qaeda in Iraq militants when there was "weapons fire between coalition and Iraqi security forces."