Australia apologises for shooting Iraqi minister's bodyguard

The Australian government apologised today for a shooting incident in which a bodyguard for the Iraqi Trade Minister and a civilian were killed by security forces guarding the Australian ambassador, an Iraqi official said.

The mistaken gun battle occurred yesterday in the car park of the Trade Ministry in Baghdad when the men guarding Australian Ambassador Howard Brown, who was going into the building for a meeting, opened fire after thinking they were threatened by security men assigned to Trade Minister Abdul-Falah al-Sudani.