US marines deny shooting civilians in Mosul

US military officials have denied that American marines shot into a crowd of civilians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing as many as 10 people.

The first reports of yesterday’s incident quoted witnesses as saying scores more were injured as US troops opened fire on a crowd that became unruly during a speech by the city’s new governor-general.

Jamal Mahmoud, a 40-year-old taxi driver, said he saw the Americans shooting at people in front of the governor’s office. Five men were hit and taken to a hospital, he said.

“The Americans started firing at the people in front of the governor’s office,” he said – rather than at nearby looters.

The US military denied the Marines fired on the crowd.

“It absolutely didn’t happen,” said Navy Capt Frank Thorp, a spokesman for US Central Command in Qatar.

He said the marines did shoot, but were returning fire that came from a site away from the crowd.

“The Marines were fired upon ... away from the crowd,” Thorp said.

“They fired back, but they never fired at the crowd. They fired to suppress the fire that was coming at them. I don’t have any reports that they hit anybody.”

Thorp said the shooting ended as soon as the marines returned fire.

“It had nothing to do with the crowd,” he said.

In Mosul, a marine who would only identify himself as Sgt Chet, said there had been gunfire from a building across a park near the governor’s office, and that the marines responded protectively from another building.

The sergeant said that apparently there had been a bank robbery at the same time, but he denied the marines shot anybody in response to a policeman firing to get looters out of the bank.

Around the corner from the governor’s office, the mood was angry today.

Shamel Mahmoud, interviewed on the street, claimed to be a former bodyguard of deposed President Saddam Hussein’s son Qusai.

“Everybody’s scared,” Mahmoud said, enraged over the shooting. “I need some protection. Everyone is killed. Why?”

Marines stood at a sandbagged position at the corner of the street by the governor’s office today, while helicopters could be heard overhead.