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US troops kill minor girl in Iraq

BAGHDAD: US soldiers in Iraq killed a 12-year-old girl on Monday when they fired warning shots after a vehicle failed to stop, the US army said.

The accidental shooting in Hurriyah in northern Iraq occurred as the girl stood some 100 metres (330 feet) behind the vehicle US and Iraqi forces were seeking to stop, according to the statement.

"A vehicle accelerated on approach to the Hurriyah Iraqi Police station, where coalition forces and Iraqi police were conducting security operations," the statement said. "The coalition forces and Iraqi police waved and yelled for the vehicle to stop.

"After the vehicle failed to stop, coalition forces fired two warning rounds. The girl, who was standing approximately 100 metres behind the vehicle, was struck by one of the rounds."

She died while being transported to hospital, the statement said, without saying whether the vehicle was hit or why it accelerated.

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