Iraq says U.S. raid "a crime," violated security pact

By Aref Mohammed

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq considers a U.S. military raid that killed two people a crime and wants U.S. forces to hand over those responsible to the courts, an Iraqi official said on Sunday.

Hundreds of Iraqis protested in the southern city of Kut against U.S. forces and the provincial governor also condemned the military operation.

The U.S. military had any immediate comment on the Iraqi stance but said the raid was carried out with the full approval of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government .

It said it had targeted "special group" fighters, its term for Shi'ite militiamen the United States says are funded and armed by Iran, in the operation early on Sunday in Kut, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

"The general commander is affirming that the killing of two citizens and detaining of others in Kut is considered a violation of the security pact," said an official in the office of Major General Qassim Moussawi, Baghdad's security spokesman.

"He asks the commander of the multinational forces to release the detainees and hand over those responsible for this crime to the courts."

'General commander' refers to Maliki.

Under the U.S.-Iraqi security pact that came into force this year, the 137,000 U.S. troops in Iraq can no longer conduct military operations without Iraqi approval.

The pact says U.S. soldiers are immune from prosecution in Iraqi courts unless they are suspected of grave crimes committed while off duty outside their bases.

Two Iraqi military commanders who authorized the raid were detained on the orders of the defense minister, spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said. A committee had been sent to Kut to investigate.

"This committee has managed to get the six people detained by the Americans released," he said.

Witness Nidhal Abdul Munem, the sister of the man killed in the raid, choked back tears as she recounted her story.

"They invaded our house, shot my brother and my sister-in-law and herded us into one area. All the while, we tried to ask, 'Why are you doing this?'" she said.

ANGRY CROWDS

In a statement issued before the Iraqi government's condemnation, the U.S. military said its troops had shot and killed a man suspected of being behind supplying weapons to the Shi'ite fighters. A woman was killed in the crossfire, it said.