US Denies Americans Detained in Shooting

Relatives of two brothers killed in a car bomb explosion grieve as others carry the coffins with their bodies in Baghdad's Karrada neighborhood, Iraq, Monday, Nov. 19, 2007. A car bomb exploded in Karrada Sunday, targeting an Iraqi official, but missed its target, killing at least 10 people and wounding 21, including two of the official's bodyguards, according to police and hospital officials. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) (Hadi Mizban - AP)

The FBI is continuing its investigation into the shootings, although the Iraqi government has concluded that the security guards were unprovoked when the began shooting at an intersection at Nisoor Square in western Baghdad. The North Carolina-based company, the largest private security firm protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, has said its security convoy was under attack before it opened fire.

The Iraqi Cabinet's initiative to lift immunity for private security companies would not be retroactive and therefore not affect the Blackwater employees who were involved in the Sept. 16 shooting. Parliament has yet to act on the measure.

"We have given orders to our security forces to immediately intervene in case they see any violations by security companies. The members of this security company wounded an innocent woman and they tried to escape the scene, but Iraq forces arrested them," al-Moussawi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Leighton said Almco was not conducting personal security activities for the U.S., although its construction contract did specify that the company should provide all required security for transportation and shipment of personnel and equipment.

Almco provides services ranging from dining facilities to water treatment and fuel supply for about 17,000 people in military camps and various companies across Iraq, according to the company's Web site.

A top U.S. commander, meanwhile, said violence in northern Iraq has declined at a slower rate than it has in other regions, as al-Qaida and other militants move there to avoid coalition operations elsewhere.

As a result, the north is now more violent than other regions. Most of the 27 U.S. deaths this month were north of Baghdad.

Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, who commands U.S. troops in the region, said al-Qaida cells still operate in all the key cities in the north.

"What you're seeing is the enemy shifting," he told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from Tikrit. "The attacks are still much higher than I would like here in the north but they are continuing to decrease in numbers and scale of attacks."

He said 900 roadside bombs were placed in his region last month, compared with 1,830 in June.

Sporadic violence nationwide left at least 22 people were killed or found dead Monday.

The deadliest attack occurred near the southern city of Basra when a rocket slammed into a house, killing five children and their mother, police said. Police said they believe the rocket was targeting the nearby airport, which is the headquarters of the British military in the area, but fell short.