Iraq Soldier Is Accused of Killing U.S. Marine

An Iraqi soldier allegedly shot and killed a U.S. Marine at a coalition base near the Syrian border, and another Marine then wounded the Iraqi, the U.S. military said Friday.

The U.S. command also reported the deaths of three other American troops.

The Marine’s shooting took place Thursday near Qaim, 200 miles west of Baghdad, the military statement said. The incident was under investigation, it said. No other details were released, and Pentagon officials said they had no information.

An earlier statement said the Iraqi was evacuated to a U.S. military hospital in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad. His condition was unknown.

“Just as we as American military men and women trust one another with our lives, we also trust our Iraqi counterparts, and that trust has not wavered,” the statement said. “We will not let this isolated incident deter us in our mission to train and mentor the Iraqi security forces as they progress toward independent operations to ensure the security of their nation.”

Another American died Friday of wounds suffered while on patrol in western Baghdad, the military said. The victim’s patrol had come under small-arms fire, the statement said, providing no further details, including the branch of service.

A soldier from the Army’s 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team was killed Thursday when his combat patrol struck a roadside bomb near Bayji, north of Baghdad, and a Marine was killed in “enemy action” in Al Anbar province west of Baghdad, also Thursday, separate statements said. The names of the victims were withheld pending notification of relatives.

At least 2,349 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, an Associated Press count shows.