Hundreds of angry Iraqis chanting "America is the enemy of God" today began burying 10 police and security guards shot by US troops who apparently mistook them for rebels fighting the American occupation.
Local police fired shots in the air to disperse demonstrators in the rebellious town of Falluja as the first coffin was carried to a cemetery.
Sunni Muslim clerics in the town issued a "Declaration by the people of Falluja" condemning the deaths of the security guards and police, announcing three days of mourning, and calling for a general strike on tomorrow.
Witnesses had reported yesterday that eight US-trained Iraqi guards and a Jordanian were killed in Falluja, west of Baghdad in the so-called "Sunni Triangle" where support for deposed dictator Saddam Hussein remains strongest.
"Last night, two of the injured guards died because of their severe injuries, so the total number of martyrs became 10," said General Raed Abdul Latif, who heads the US-appointed police in Falluja.
Falluja residents were also mourning the death of a three-year-old girl who witnesses said was shot in the head by American soldiers during street fighting last night.
The town has been a cauldron of hostility for US forces, particularly since American troops shot dead at least 13 Iraqis - said by locals to have been unarmed - during a protest march in late April.