Iraqi Shooting

U.S. soldiers opened fire Monday night on Iraqis who were protesting against continued American presence in Iraq. The soldiers said people in the crowd were shooting at them with automatic rifles; the demonstrators said they were unarmed. The shooting, which took place about 30 miles west of Baghdad in Fallujah, highlights the difficulties of using combat-trained soldiers for crowd control. It was the third reported fatal shooting involving U.S. troops and Iraqi protesters in the past two weeks. Soldiers said many in the crowd had AK-47 assault rifles and were firing into the air -- a common practice at boisterous gatherings. The director of the local hospital said 13 people were killed and 75 wounded.