From The New York Times: 

U.S. Says Killings Won't Affect Iraq Mission

By STEVEN LEE MYERS

BAGHDAD - The killing of two American soldiers by an Iraqi soldier at a military base north of Baghdad was a "deliberate act" but would not undermine the new American mission to advise Iraq's security forces, the American military said in a statement on Wednesday.

The deaths - the first American casualties here since President Obama declared the official end to American combat in Iraq last week - appeared to have stemmed from an argument that escalated into gunfire, according to Iraqi officials and a relative of the Iraqi soldier involved.

The Iraqi soldier, identified as Soran Rahman Falih Wali, was killed in the firefight that erupted Tuesday afternoon at a small base described as a commando compound near the city of Tuz Khurmato, in Salahuddin Province. Nine American soldiers were wounded.

A joint American-Iraqi force detained the soldier's brother, Marwan Abdul Rahman Salih, according to Iraqi officials, as part of what the American military said would be a "detailed investigation" of the firefight, which marred the steady transfer of all combat operations to Iraq's army and police forces.

A police commander in Tuz Khurmato, Capt. Daham Abdullah, identified the brother as a police officer, though it was not clear whether he had any connection to the attack itself. The joint force also raided Mr. Wali's house, not far from the base, but his family had left, Captain Abdullah said.

A relative, Zargan Kfoor, described Mr. Wali as a dedicated soldier who had recently married and become more devout. Only hours before the attack, he and an official on the base said, Mr. Wali had escorted eight detainees to a police operations room on the base.

"At the time, he was not angry about anything, and his attitude was good," said the official, Awni Abdul Hussein.

Mr. Kfoor, however, said that Mr. Wali had been teased by some of the Americans he worked with, possibly because of his religious views.

"His reactions were very strong," he said.

The American military provided few additional details, and as a matter of policy did not release the names of those killed, pending notification of their families.