AP: Iraqi Troops Killed 2 U.S. Soldiers

By SCOTT LINDLAW
Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Two California soldiers shot to death in Iraq were murdered by Iraqi civil-defense officers patrolling with them, military investigators have found.

The deaths of Army Spc. Patrick R. McCaffrey Sr. and 1st Lt. Andre D. Tyson were originally attributed to an ambush during a patrol near Balad, Iraq, on June 22, 2004.

But the Army's Criminal Investigation Command found that one or more of the Iraqis attached to the American soldiers on patrol fired at them, a military official said Tuesday.

A Pentagon spokesman knew of no other similar incident, calling it "extremely rare."

The Army has conducted an extensive investigation into the deaths but declined to provide details out of respect for relatives of the soldiers, spokesman Paul Boyce said Tuesday evening.

It was unclear whether the investigators had established a motive or arrested any suspects.