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29 April 2003

U.S. Paratroopers Fired upon During Protest in Iraq

(Central Command Report, April 29: Iraq Operations) (300)
Washington -- U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division
were fired upon during the night of April 28 by approximately 25 armed
civilians who were interspersed among and on rooftops above
approximately 200 protesters. The incident took place outside a
compound the paratroopers had occupied in the city of Fallujah, the
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement April 29.
CENTCOM said it couldn't confirm allegations that civilians had been
wounded and killed in the firefight. Fallujah is located 30 miles west
of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
"Media reports have incorrectly reported that soldiers fired on the
crowd without cause, and also reported numerous casualties were
inflicted on innocent civilians, including women and children,"
CENTCOM said. "This allegation cannot be confirmed by coalition
forces, as the crowd retrieved the wounded and dispersed after the
exchange. Given this fact, it is extremely unlikely that the coalition
will ever be able to confirm casualties, or determine the extent to
which any unarmed civilians were injured or killed."
CENTCOM said the paratroopers returned fire, wounding at least seven
of the armed individuals. The paratroopers received hostile gunfire
from elements mixed within the crowd and positioned atop neighboring
buildings, CENTCOM said.
"While the coalition regrets any innocent casualties if they did
occur, it also maintains the inherent right of self-defense for its
forces when they are threatened by hostile forces," CENTCOM said.
Coalition forces have consistently demonstrated efforts to avoid
civilian casualties, a CENTCOM spokesman said.
Ground commanders are conducting an inquiry to determine the facts
surrounding the incident, and will be meeting with local officials to
determine how such risks can be avoided in the future, CENTCOM said.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)