U.S. forces admit wounding 2 civilians in Diwaniya

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The U.S. army in Iraq on Sunday admitted wounding two civilians when a U.S. patrol opened fire unintentionally east of Diwaniya province on Saturday. “A U.S. vehicle patrol traveling southeast near Afak was conducting a logistics convoy when a weapon was unintentionally discharged,” according to a U.S. army release received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “Two local nationals were reported to have suffered injuries in the area and were transported for medical treatment. It’s unclear whether the weapons discharge and injuries are directly connected,” it added. On Saturday (Feb. 7), a security source said a U.S. patrol wounded two civilians who were on their way to the holy Shiite city of Karbala for the Arbaeen pilgrimage. “Random fire by U.S. patrolmen in Afak district, (30 km) east of Diwaniya, injured a man and a woman local residents of Missan province who were going on foot to Karbala to perform the rituals of Imam Hussein bin Ali’s Arbaeen pilgrimage,” the source told IraqiNews.com. “The wounded civilians were rushed to a hospital for treatment,” he said, adding the injuries are not serious. He did not say why the U.S. forces opened fire at the two civilians. The U.S. forces in camp ECHO, (3 km) west of Diwaniya, were contacted but gave no answer on the incident. The province of Diwaniya lies 180 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the killing of Imam al-Hussein, a figure highly revered by Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf on the Muslim Hegira calendar year of 60 (681 on the Gregorian calendar). AmR (S) 1