U.S. army soldiers patrol a highway in Fallujah

FALLUJAH, Iraq, September 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. occupation forces, backed by air support, killed three Iraqi villagers and wounded three others early Tuesday, September 23, near the hotspot town of Fallujah.

The U.S. military argued, however, it killed one Iraqi in an incident involving a single "coalition aircraft", claiming its troops come under fire first and were faced with crowds of local residents blocking intersections.

Countering the American version of events, eyewitnesses said three Iraqis were killed and three others seriously wounded in an assault by U.S. troops and helicopters that damaged a pair of houses in the village of Al-Sijr, two kilometers north of Fallujah, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

They said American tanks surrounded the village and troops opened up with machine-gun fire before helicopters launched missiles.

The witnesses reported seeing helicopters circling above and hearing the roar of warplanes.

An AFP correspondent at the scene said the attack was aimed at one or perhaps two houses which suffered damage and blown-out windows, while an Iraqi resident confirmed one of the houses was ransacked by U.S. troops a day earlier.

Zidan al-Jumaili and Ibrahim al-Jumaili, both residents of Al-Sijr and relatives of the victims, said U.S. occupation forces encircled the village about 1:30 am  and opened fire a half hour later.

Residents said a 40-year-old farmer was killed and two of his children wounded while they slept in their home while two other people were killed 50 meters away from the house.

Dr Ayman Abdel Kader al-Ani of the Fallujah Hospital identified the dead as Ali Khalaf Mohammad al-Jumaili, Saadi Fakri Fayad al-Jumaili and Salem Khalil Ismail al-Jumaili.

Hudud Nuri, 24, the sister-in-law of one of the dead and the mother of three children, said U.S. troops had come early Monday to search the house but found nothing inside.

Wounded were Tahssin Ali Khalaf al-Jumaili, Hussein Ali Khalaf al-Jumaili and Abed Rashid Mohammad al-Jumaili, Ani said, adding that their condition was serious.

Photographing Bedrooms

Three U.S. soldiers were seen later Tuesday morning at the house taking photos of holes punched in the wall around a garden and two on the ground, while local women wailed nearby. The soldiers also photographed the bedrooms.

"I was sent here to take pictures and find the location of the bombing that happened after dark," said one soldier, a military policeman who asked that his name be withheld.

Specialist Anthony Reinoso, a U.S. military spokesman, provided a different account of the incident, which he said started when members of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division came under attack.

They returned fire while pursuing some of their attackers who fled into a building, and "a crowd formed. Weapons were seen in the crowd," Reinoso argued.

The crowd attempted to block several intersections, he went on, and "one enemy was killed."

"There was a coalition aircraft involved," said the American military spokesman, but did not give any details.

Asked about the other two deaths, Reinoso said they had no further information.

The bloodshed came just hours after 250 people demonstrated in Fallujah, carrying portraits of ousted president Saddam Hussein and demanding his return to power.

It also came a day after U.S. forces resumed the circulation of leaflets offering to buy weapons from residents of Fallujah, where the Americans frequently come under attack.

An-Najaf Handover

In another development, U.S. occupation forces Tuesday handed over control of the troubled Iraqi holy city of An-Najaf to Spanish-led troops, including contingents from Latin America, after resolving a spate of logistic headaches.

Marines commander General John Kelly transferred authority to Spanish General Alfredo Cardona, head of the Plus Ultra brigade of Spanish, Salvadoran and Honduran troops at a joint parade in the military headquarters.

They were deployed in Iraq after reaching an agreement with the U.S. military for the supply of necessary and accessory equipment.

"The soldiers of Honduras and El Salvador, deployed in An-Najaf, are not equipped sufficiently for their mission," Cardona said.

U.S. marines have been withdrawing from the province for several days ahead of the handover.

From Tuesday the holy city of An-Najaf was being patrolled by some 720 Honduran and Salvadoran troops, assisted by some of the 1,200 Spanish soldiers deployed in the region.

"Over the last two days the Salvadorans and Hondurans have received their vehicles and communications equipment that they needed to function correctly," Spain's Major Jose Luis Sanchez Falero told AFP.

The Latin brigade will take responsibility for one of Iraq's most sensitive corners, which is still reeling from an August 29 car bombing that killed a revered Shiite scholar, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim and 82 other people.

An-Najaf, 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Baghdad, posed a delicate problem for the Americans, who insisted on disarming the Iraqi militias that poured out onto the streets after the bombing and for the funeral three days later.

Washington is seeking to expand its U.N. mandate in Iraq but insists it will not cede control of the U.S.-led force which has sparked opposition from many countries, notably France and Germany.