US raid near Karbala angers Iraqi officials

Baghdad: Iraqi officials have expressed outrage over a US raid near Karbala, which they said should have been approved by authorities.

The officials said that a civilian was killed in the raid on Friday. The US military had said they were targeting terrorists.

"This action was barbaric and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Iraqi forces in the local government were not aware of it," said Aqeel Al Khazali, the governor of Karbala.

The row comes at a time when Washington is negotiating a new security pact with Iraq to give Americans legal basis to stay in Iraq after a UN mandate expires on December 31.

One of the key sticking points in negotiations has been whether the US military could conduct operations and detain suspects without Iraqi approval.