BAGHDAD, Sept 3: US forces killed six Iraqi security personnel north of Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraqi officials said, in an incident which the American military said was a case of “mistaken fire”.

The shooting erupted at a joint Iraqi police and army checkpoint in the town of Tarmiyah at around 5am, interior and defence ministry officials said.

A security official with the interior ministry said Iraqi forces fired in the air when they heard a boat coming towards the checkpoint along the Tigris river.

“The Iraqis fired in the air but a few minutes later an helicopter shot at them and killed six of them and wounded 10 others,” he said.

The US military confirmed the incident and said there was an exchange of fire between coalition and Iraqi forces when its troops were conducting operations against Al Qaeda.—AFP