The United States military has said that four soldiers were abucted and then shot dead by men in US-style uniforms and carrying American weapons.
The soldiers were seized during an assault on the provincial government headquarters in Karbala.
A fifth soldier was shot dead by the attackers during the raid.
An initial statement, released after the incident on January 20, said five US soldiers had been killed and three wounded "repelling an attack on an Iraqi governor's office".
The four abducted soldiers were shot after the attackers abandoned their vehicles 40km from the compound,-Jazeera reported.
Between nine and 12 armed men were able to trick their way past Iraqi soldiers guarding the Provisional Joint Co-ordination Centre because they spoke perfect English, were wearing new US military fatigues and were armed with American weapons.
They were also travelling in black GMC Suburban vehicles, the type used by US government convoys.
The attackers then stormed into the compound, threw stun grenades at a group inside a police office and shot dead an American soldier, the US military said.
They then fled with four US troops who had been attending a meeting to plan security measures for the 10-day Shia mourning ceremony of Ashura, which culminates on January 30.
Iraqi police, who had become suspicious when the convoy failed stop at a roadblock, chased the vehicles and found them abandoned near the town of Al-Mahawil in Babil province.
"Two soldiers were found handcuffed together in the back of one of the SUVs [sport utility vehicles]. Both had suffered gunshot wounds and were dead. A third soldier was found shot and dead on the ground," a military statement said.
"Nearby, the fourth soldier was still alive, despite a gunshot wound to the head."
He was taken to a nearby hospital but died on the way.
KC
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