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US Fifth Fleet regrets killing of Egyptian in Suez
2008-03-26
The US Navy's Fifth Fleet expressed regret on Wednesday over an incident in which a boat chartered by the navy shot dead an Egyptian near the Suez Canal. "We express our deepest sympathies to the family of the deceased," said Vice Admiral Kevin J Cosgriff, commander of the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet. "We are greatly saddened by events that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will do our utmost to help take care of the family of the deceased," he added in a statement. The statement said the death occurred as "an apparent result from warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the US Navy" late on Monday. The US State Department on Wednesday also described as regrettable the incident, in which the vessel fired warning shots at a small boat plying its trade in the area and said it was under investigation. "We will work through the investigation very thoroughly, coordinating with authorities and the (US) embassy (in Cairo), to get a full account of what happened," Cosgriff said. Fifth Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Nathan Christensen said relatives of the dead man, Mohammed Moqtar Afifi, would be compensated. "The relatives will receive money," Christensen told AFP. "I can't speculate on how long that will take.
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