The US military said on Saturday its troops had shot dead a 12-year-old Iraqi boy suspected of throwing a grenade at them and said it believed insurgents were paying children to help them.
Iraqi police, speaking on condition of anonymity, said however the boy, whom they named as Omar Moussa Salih, had not been involved in the grenade-throwing.
US and Iraqi forces came under grenade attack on Thursday in the western part of Mosul, the northern city seen as a final stronghold of al-Qaeda and other insurgents, said Major Derrick Cheng, a US spokesman in northern Iraq.
US forces responded by firing at several people, killing the boy. He was found with 10,000 Iraqi dinars (US$8.50) in his hand.
“We have every reason to believe that insurgents are paying children to conduct these attacks or assist the attackers in some capacity, but undoubtedly placing the children in harm’s way,” Cheng said.
Iraqi police in Mosul said the boy, who had sold sweets in the street, was shot more than once in the head. His eight-year-old brother ran away when Omar was shot, police said.
Cheng said another boy was briefly detained but released.
ARREST
Meanwhile, the brother of the Iraqi trade minister was arrested on suspicion of corruption at a checkpoint in the south of the country, officials said on Saturday.
Sabah Mohammed al-Sudany, who worked as an aide to his brother, Trade Minister Abdul Falah al-Sudany, was captured on Thursday after he pulled up at a checkpoint in a government car driven by his bodyguards, said a police official in Samawa, about 230km south of Baghdad.
Sudany, who faces embezzlement charges related to food imports, was taken to the central jail in Samawa.
Security and police officials said large amount of cash, along with gold and identity cards were found in the car.
Sudany was one of nine top officials, including the head of the state Grain Board, wanted on charges related to the importation of food which was placed in ministry storage in southern Iraq and found to be unfit for consumption.
The affair is embarrassing for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is trying to secure desperately needed foreign investment as he battles a stubborn insurgency and vows to fight widespread corruption.
Theft, fraud, kickbacks and other corrupt practices have been a major problem for Iraq in the years since the US-led invasion to oust former president Saddam Hussein.
The Trade Ministry, which includes the Grain Board, denies any wrongdoing and blames the accusations on disgruntled employees. It is responsible for importing construction materials and food for Iraq’s massive ration program.
US officials said the Trade Ministry’s frequent procurement has made it fertile ground for malfeasance. The Grain Board says it has taken steps to improve its transparency.
The trade minister, who is not charged in the matter, will appear before lawmakers on Saturday to answer questions about corruption, a parliament source said on condition of anonymity.
The minister’s brother and most of the other officials have not been at work since late last month when Iraqi forces arrived at the Trade Ministry to make arrests, nearly triggering a firefight with ministry guards who tried to scare them off by firing shots into the air.
VISIT
Yesterday, a spokesman for the Iraqi government said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Baghdad for a surprise one-day visit to meet the prime minister and discuss US-Iraqi relations.
Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Pelosi, a Democrat from California, would also meet other Iraqi officials yesterday.
The US embassy in Baghdad confirmed the trip.
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