U.S. soldiers shoot female TV producer

updated 12:16 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2009

BAGHDAD - American soldiers shot and wounded a woman — identified by an Iraqi television station as one of its producers — after she failed to heed warnings to stop near a Baghdad checkpoint recently targeted by suicide and car bombs, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said Saturday.

The U.S. military said in a statement that the woman was "acting erratic" and didn't respond to warnings from Iraqi and American troops near the checkpoint in the central neighborhood of Jadiriyah on Thursday.

"Concerned by the danger she might present to the security forces and civilians, given her repeated failure to respond to warnings, soldiers fired two rounds, wounding the woman," the U.S. military said. It did not provide further details of her behavior.

The Biladi TV station, which is owned by former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, identified the woman as 25-year-old producer Hadeel Emad.

Station spokesman Muhsin Kadhum told The Associated Press that Emad had just left the station and was crossing the street to get a taxi when she was shot.

"She has hearing problems, and she didn't hear the warnings," Kadhum said. "She was wearing a long coat and carried nothing in her hands."

Emad was in critical condition in a Baghdad hospital, Kadhum said.

A medical official at al-Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad confirmed Emad was brought in for treatment and was listed in critical condition. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

Under investigation
An Iraqi police officer told the AP that Emad was walking with her husband and ignored warnings from U.S. troops to stop. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.

The U.S. military did not identify the woman, but said she was taken to an area hospital.

A U.S. military spokesman, Col. Bill Buckner, said the incident was under investigation and referred all further inquiries to Iraq's Interior Ministry.

Also Saturday, an Iraqi official said two people were killed and another was wounded when a bomb they were concealing in their car exploded near the town of Sinjar, 75 miles west of the northern city of Mosul.

Abdul Rahim al-Shimmery, the mayor of Sinjar, said the two men killed in the explosion were brothers.

More from msnbc.com Power struggle threatens Pakistan’s leader  Swine flu booster shots? Good luck with that From Levi to Letterman: Palin's rough year Obama gets mixed reviews on China's blogs Ice addict heads for poles, Everest | Trek posts On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM MIDEAST & N. AFRICA

Mideast & N. Africa Section Front

Carter defends handling of Iran hostage crisis U.N.: Iran nuclear facility to start in 2011 Saudi cleric accuses Iran of ties to Yemeni rebels Bingo’s comeback erases divisions in Baghdad Mideast & N. Africa Section Front   Add Mideast & N. Africa headlines to your news reader: