MOSUL, March 15: Three US civilians were believed killed and two others wounded in a drive-by shooting in Iraq's northern city of Mosul late Monday, said coalition military sources, after earlier saying the dead were Iraqis.

"It's starting to look like the three killed are not Iraqis. Right now we believe them to be Americans," said coalition military sources. "They were possibly working for a non-governmental organisation," the sources added.

The coalition had previously reported a drive-by shooting in Mosul that left three Iraqis dead and two US civilians wounded. The sources had also said they thought the five were working for a contractor.

The wounded Americans were treated in a local hospital and then moved to a secure location, the sources said earlier. Police in Mosul said the five people had been driving when they came under Kalashnikov fire from a neighbouring vehicle. The attackers then sped off.

"Two women and a man were killed, and a man and woman were wounded," said police officer Abdel Amir Mohammed Jassem. Doctor Sultan Jargis at Salam hospital said the wounded American woman was hit by four bullets in the chin, leg and chest. Two bullets struck the wounded man in the stomach, he said. -AFP