The US military said today it had accidentally killed nine Iraqi civilians while pursuing al-Qaeda fighters south of Baghdad.
A child was among those killed and three other civilians, including two children, were wounded in the incident on Saturday near Iskandariya, 40 kilometres south of Baghdad.
The wounded were taken to US military hospitals for treatment.
"We offer our condolences to the families of those who were killed in the incident and we mourn the loss of innocent civilian life," the US military said.
Iraqi police said US helicopters had fired on a checkpoint manned by a neighbourhood police patrol.
The neighbourhood units, formed by mainly Sunni Arab tribal sheikhs, have been credited for contributing to sharp falls in violence across Iraq.
