US marines killed two Iraqis and wounded six in the restive town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad today, but accounts of the shooting conflicted.
Residents said US snipers had fired from a building at drivers and pedestrians for no apparent reason, but the US military said the dead were gunmen.
"They killed one poor man with a bullet in his brain," one man said. "No one even looked at them (the Americans) or came close to them or talked to them. They just opened fire."
An official at the local hospital said residents had brought in two bodies and six wounded, including two children.
The US military said marines had opened fire after coming under attack.
"There was a clash at approximately 6.15 a.m. (2.15 p.m. Irish time)today near a taxi stop in Ramadi between US marines and approximately seven enemy fighters dressed in black," it said in a statement.
"Those seven fired on the marines from the taxi stop. The marines returned fire, killing two of the attackers and seized the vehicle they used, which had a machine gun mount in the back."
It said there had been no US fatalities.