A U.S. military spokesman says one American soldier has been killed and another wounded in a shooting attack in Baghdad.
Reports say the soldiers were guarding a gas station in southern Baghdad, Wednesday when they were shot by men who had approached the station on foot. The attackers ran away with U.S. forces in hot pursuit. Attacks have claimed the lives of more than 40 U.S. soldiers in Iraq since major combat there was declared over on May 1.
Earlier, U.S. troops shot and killed two Iraqi demonstrators in front of one of Saddam Hussein's presidential palaces, which now serves as the headquarters for coalition forces in Baghdad.
The clash erupted when demonstrators, mostly former Iraqi soldiers, began throwing stones at U.S. troops, who responded with gunfire. There have been frequent demonstrations by former Iraqi soldiers who lost their jobs when the chief U.S. administrator for Iraq, Paul Bremer, disbanded Saddam Hussein's armed forces last month.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the United States announced the establishment of a new court in Iraq to try the most serious criminals and Saddam Hussein loyalists. Mr. Bremer said the court is intended to show Iraqis that the United States takes security in the country very seriously.
Mr. Bremer said the new Iraqi judiciary will exclude Baath party members, and judges and prosecutors will also be investigated for past human rights abuses or corruption.
