5 Iraqis die, 8 wounded after civilian car collides with US military vehicle

5 Iraqis killed in traffic accident with US forces

BAGHDAD — A minibus carrying an extended Iraqi family collided Wednesday with a U.S. military vehicle south of Baghdad, killing five Iraqis and wounding at least 10 people, including three American soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

Babil province’s police spokesman Maj. Muthana Khalid said the accident occurred about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad on the road to the city of Hillah. He said the U.S. military vehicle was traveling in the wrong lane. The Iraqis were on their way to visit a cemetery, he added.

The spokesman said eight Iraqis were injured, but a U.S. military statement put the number at seven.

The three injured soldiers and two of the Iraqis were evacuated by a U.S. helicopter, the U.S. military statement said. Five other wounded Iraqis were evacuated by Iraqi police to Basra, it added.

The American military referred to the incident as a traffic accident and said it was under investigation, but gave no further details. It is not uncommon for U.S. and Iraqi vehicles to travel in the wrong lane to avoid congestion or slow moving military convoys. The practice, however, has declined over the past two years.

At the scene of the accident, a damaged MRAP, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle extensively used by the American military in Iraq, could be seen being loaded onto a trailer by American military personnel.