U.S. troops open fire on crowd

A human rights group accused U.S. soldiers of using excessive force in the past.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad today, and U.S. troops threatened by a stone-throwing crowd killed two Iraqis during a demonstration.
A military spokesman said the U.S. troops were hit by gunfire at a gas station. The gunmen escaped as other soldiers tried to give aid to the wounded, said U.S. Army Capt. John Morgan.
The shooting of the Iraqis occurred as former Iraqi soldiers demonstrated to demand back wages outside the American headquarters in Baghdad.
Military officers initially reported two people were wounded, while Iraqis at the scene said two were killed and one wounded. U.S. troops took two fallen Iraqis to an army aid station inside the compound, and U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Sean Gibson confirmed the two Iraqis had died.
The shooting came one day after a human rights group accused U.S. troops of using excessive force during a protest in the town of Fallujah in April.
Throwing stones
Another military spokesman said the episode began when the demonstrators threw stones at a convoy of military police vehicles moving toward the arched gateway of the Republican Palace, Saddam Hussein's former presidential compound and now the headquarters of the U.S.-led administration.
"A soldier did fire his weapon," in response to the stoning, said Capt. John Morgan, the spokesman.
Iraqis who took part in the protest said the violence began when the crowd pressed against a vehicle moving slowly outside the gate and banged on it. A soldier fired into the air, apparently setting off a panic in the crowd.
AP photographer Victor Caivano said the demonstrators threw stones at the soldiers and at reporters, who were forced to retreat.
Raad Mohammed, a low-ranking former army officer who joined the protest to demand back wages, said his friend was shot in the right shoulder. Mohammed's checkered shirt was stained with what he said was his friend's blood.
Mohammed said he and others were about to put the wounded man in a car when American troops approached and said, "We'll take care of him." He said they took the man inside the compound.
There have been frequent demonstrations outside the Republican Palace, usually over the issue of unpaid wages to civil servants and the army. Today's demonstration coincided with the birthday of Saddam's eldest son, Odai.
Allegations
On Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch alleged that troops used excessive force in the town of Fallujah when they shot and killed 20 protesters and wounded nearly 90 in encountrs April 28 and 30.
The group said its investigators had found no evidence to support assertions by U.S. commanders who said their troops returned precision fire on gunmen in the crowd who fired on them. The military had no immediate comment on the report, but said it was conducting its own investigation.
The demonstration occurred as U.S. troops intensified their searches in the capital for illegal weapons and supporters of Saddam's regime.
Before dawn today, troops sealed several streets of the Karrada neighborhood and called residents from their beds to stand in the street as they searched their homes. One man was taken away with his hands bound behind his back.
The military says about 400 people have been arrested since the latest operation, dubbed Desert Scorpion, began on Sunday. The searches have aroused widespread resentment.
While struggling to restore order and crack down on pro-Saddam loyalists, U.S. authorities are also trying to build new, more democratic institutions in Iraq.
Fixing court system
They announced a broad revamping of Iraq's courts, suspending the death penalty and planning a new tribunal to speed up the trials of Saddam's loyalists.
A new Central Criminal Court announced Tuesday, which could be operational within a month, is part of a program to replace a judicial system that was notoriously corrupt and which catered to Saddam's whims, including the execution of thousands of his political opponents.
The objective "is to clean up Iraq's judiciary." said L. Paul Bremer, the top political administrator of Iraq. Criminals who aim to undermine Iraq's security and reconstruction "will be brought to justice without delay," said Bremer.
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