BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite Islamic clerics demanded yesterday that American soldiers leave a Baghdad slum within 24 hours and never re-enter, a day after U.S. troops fired into an angry crowd, killing one person and wounding four.
The U.S. military has apologized for the incident, and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top allied commander in Iraq, said yesterday that an investigation had been launched.
"Our intent is not to alienate the Shia people," Sanchez said.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Basra, a bomb killed one British soldier and wounded three others, military spokesman Capt. Hisham Halawi said. It was the first British combat death in nearly two months.
The British casualties yesterday were all army medics traveling in an ambulance on the outskirts of Basra, where residents rioted last weekend to protest fuel shortages and power cuts.
Eight Britons have been killed in attacks since May 1, when President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq. In the same period, 60 U.S. soldiers have died in attacks.
In Baghdad, U.S. military officers have met with local Shiite leaders, but tensions remain high and angry residents are threatening U.S. troops.
Wednesday's shooting took place in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave of about 2 million in northeastern Baghdad, where an estimated 3,000 protesters gathered after they accused a U.S. helicopter crew member of trying to tear down a sacred banner from a communications tower.
Rocks were thrown at soldiers investigating the protest, and shots rang out. The military says its troops killed one man after he fired a rocket-propelled grenade at them. Clerics said the victim was a 10-year-old girl.
The military says rotor wash from a Black Hawk helicopter blew the banner down after it flew too close to the tower. But an amateur videotape showed a copter hovering close to the flag.
Clerics in Sadr City have urged restraint, but the incident illustrates how Shiites, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's 24 million people, represent a potential powder keg for the coalition forces. So far, Shiites, who were brutally suppressed under Saddam Hussein's regime, have largely cooperated with coalition authorities, but that cooperation is tentative at best.
"They [soldiers] are losing their popularity here, and they are losing the support of the Shiite people," said Sheik Qais al Khazali, 29, a deputy to Moqtada al Sadr, a controversial young cleric who has a wide following in the neighborhood and who has called for passive resistance against U.S. troops and the coalition governing authority.
The banner in question is the symbol of al Sadr's "Mehdi Army," a volunteer force that his followers say numbers more than 10,000. The banner bears the name of Muhammed al Mahdi, "Hidden Imam," a mystical figure who went into hiding as a 7-year-old boy in A.D. 874 and who Shiites believe will come back shortly before the final judgment to slay unbelievers and pave the way for a world of perfect government and spirituality.
"Are the Americans so stupid that they didn't know the importance of this flag to us?" asked Sheik Abas al Zubaydi, 30, another al Sadr deputy. "This is a huge insult for every Shiite."
A statement attributed to the U.S. military and written in Arabic was distributed throughout Sadr City late Wednesday expressing "deep regret" for the incident.
"We are sorry for what happened today," said the statement, signed by Lt. Col. Christopher K. Hoffman of the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment. "It was a mistake, and it wasn't an attack directed against the people of Sadr City. I am personally investigating this incident, and I will punish those who are responsible."
Al Khazali said he met with several midlevel U.S. military officials yesterday who apologized for the incident. But he said an apology wasn't enough: U.S. forces should leave Sadr City, and their helicopters never should fly over the area again. Also, high-ranking military officials should issue a formal apology and pay compensatory damages to the families of those killed and wounded.
A proclamation signed by al Khazali and distributed throughout Sadr City gives U.S. forces 24 hours to "achieve all our demands. If they do not, then we will not be responsible for what happens to them."
Asked if the last statement threatened a call for attacks, al Khazali said U.S. forces still could salvage the situation with a high-level apology and assurances that they would stay out of Sadr City. "We haven't called the people yet for militancy," he said. "It is not the suitable time now for jihad."