Iraqi soldier killed in fight with Marine

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is investigating the death of an Iraqi soldier killed in a fight with a Marine in Fallujah, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.

The soldier was killed on Saturday at the Fallujah Government Center.

The Marine was a member of 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, which has been working with Iraqi soldiers since it arrived in Fallujah several months ago. He has been assigned to administrative duties pending findings by the Naval Criminal Investigation Command.

Military officials said the incident would not affect joint operations in Fallujah, 43 miles west of Baghdad.

"Marines and Iraqis from the two units continue to live, eat and fight alongside each other," said Marine Lt. Col. Bryan Salas, a coalition spokesman. "This will not impact our mission to continue the transition of the security responsibility to the Iraqi Army."

Fallujah, in the Sunni stronghold of Anbar Province, currently has 700 Iraqi police, 3,000 Iraqi soldiers and about 300 U.S. Marines stationed there.