Soldier killed by US troops, says Bulgaria

US forces in Iraq, already implicated in the killing of an Italian secret agent, faced further strains with allies yesterday when Bulgaria said they had probably shot dead one of its soldiers.

The controversy raised questions over whether US troops are over-zealous in efforts to crack down on insurgents, who killed at least 23 people in fresh attacks yesterday.

The Bulgarian soldier was killed in southern Iraq on Friday, around the same time US forces in Baghdad opened fire on a vehicle taking kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena to the airport shortly after her captors freed her.