Report expected to favour soldiers who shot Italian agent

A US military investigation into the accidental shooting death of an Italian intelligence officer in Baghdad is expected to conclude that the American soldiers generally followed instructions as they fired on the agent’s approaching car, a senior US defence official said.

But the probe into the March 4 shooting is expected to raise questions about the rules of engagement given to US soldiers manning checkpoints in Iraq, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the report has not been finished.