In Iraq, one incident, two stories

It was after midnight, and the teenage Iraqi boy was home with his older sister in a battered concrete apartment. Neighbors say he heard kicks at the door and thought thieves were trying to break in.

So Haroun Fadhil took an assault rifle - one per family is permitted by US authorities for self-defense - and fired off several bullets.

But the intruders were not thieves. They were soldiers from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division, who say their inquiries at a nearby pool hall about "bad guys" prompted an Iraqi to lead them to the Fadhil's door.

No one disputes these facts, that two Iraqis died and four US soldiers were injured. Beyond that, the US and Iraqi versions of what took place differ markedly, reflecting parallel realities that often erode trust as the US attempts to win Iraqi hearts and minds.

The result, according to Iraqis here: two dead civilians, six apartments shot up, and anger welling up toward American forces among some residents of Building 198, who say the predawn violence was a tragic overreaction.

The result, according to US soldiers on the scene: four wounded Americans; a trove of ammunition and pro-Saddam, anti-US propaganda; and an operation that was "by the book."

Qais Ismael, a neighbor in the rundown complex, says that while Iraqis are still on America's side, more incidents like this could change that.

"This American attitude, if they keep going with it, may make people angry and make them resist," says Mr. Ismael. "We don't want them to push us, so that we will all be resisters."

There is no shortage of lethal incidents involving US raids and patrols. But almost five months after the fall of Baghdad, troops have orders to work with Iraqis to forge a kinder, gentler occupation.

Coming to grips with insecurity, and an average of 15 attacks a day on coalition troops, though, has put some units on edge. The squad that moved in on the Fadhil apartment, from the Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C., arrived just three weeks ago.

Officers deny using heavy-handed tactics in this case. Though they were not patrolling with an interpreter or a member of the Iraqi police - precautions that US units regularly employ, to help explain their aims to Iraqis - this unit says it used an "appropriate" degree of force, and when not under fire, reverted to a softer "knock and talk" approach.

The soldiers say they shouted "US Army! US Army!" at the door as they knocked, then began receiving fire through the door "instantaneously."

"If you knock on the door and people shoot, there is not much left to talk about," says 1st Sgt. Wylie Hutchinson, who was on the patrol. "Nobody in this unit wants to see dead people - we're here to help ... [and performed] exactly the same as any 82nd Airborne company would do on month No. 1, or month No. 12."

Events that night took a turn for the worse, however, when a massive explosion took the life of Haroun Fadhil's 18-year-old sister, Farah. Each side tells a different story.

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