While the incident of the Iraqi soldier killing two US soldiers had taken place on December 26 on a joint patrol in the north, the fuller details had recently emerged. According to an Iraqi general, the patrol came under fire from gunmen in Mosul.
He adds that his soldier had “abused” the situation, in turn shooting the Americans. This is thought to be the first case since the invasion in 2003 led by American troops.
Initially, the US reported that Captain Rowdy Inman and Sergeant Benjamin Portel were killed from hostile small arms fire.
However, Mutaa al-Khazraji, the Iraqi general said: “They [the joint patrol] were attacked by gunmen and the [Iraqi] soldier abused the situation and killed two soldiers.”
The general said that the soldier was an insurgent infiltrator. That soldier has been arrested and is currently in questioning. Along with the three soldiers, an interpretor was also wounded.
The tensions in Mosul remain high.