U.S. Killing of Iraqi Civilians at Checkpoint Is Under Investigation

The U.S. military is investigating the killing of three Iraqi civilians by American forces in northern Iraq, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

The inquiry into the May 9 deaths in Salahuddin province was requested by Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the U.S. commander in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq, officials in Baghdad announced today.

Pentagon officials said they could provide few details about the deaths of the Iraqis, who were killed at a checkpoint in province’s southern region. The military is investigating whether they were threatening American troops or whether the troops acted improperly and had no cause to use force against the civilians, an official said.

Chiarelli requested that the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command undertake the inquiry as a result of soldiers’ reported suspicions about the deaths. At the time of the deaths, the Iraqis were in the custody of U.S.-led forces, according to the statement released in Baghdad.

Salahuddin, which includes former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, begins about 40 miles north of Baghdad and is part of an area overseen by the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. Pentagon officials said they were unable to say whether the forces involved in the killings were Army personnel or members of another service.

Checkpoints have become a contentious issue in Iraq. Vehicles laden with explosives are one of the most deadly threats to American troops, and service members are most vulnerable at roadblocks. But Iraqi officials have said the Americans are too quick to fire on vehicles as they approach the roadblocks.

Under Chiarelli, troops have been looking for methods other than firing warning shots to caution civilians as they approach checkpoints.

Dozens of people have been killed at checkpoints, including an Italian intelligence agent who had just helped rescue a kidnapped journalist in March 2005.

The investigation into the Salahuddin deaths comes at a time of increased attention to such incidents because of recent allegations that U.S. Marines killed two dozen innocent Iraqi civilians in Haditha in November.