BEIJING, Mar. 8 -- Bulgaria has joined Italy in seeking answers from Washington after one of its soldiers was shot dead in a US "friendly fire" incident in Iraq.

    Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov told the US ambassador to Sofia, James Pardew, that Bulgaria was "conducting a serious investigation into the incident and will demand that those to blame assume their responsibility."

    He also called for better coordination among the coalition troops in Iraq.

    Ambassador Pardew said he hopes the incident will not undermine US-Bulgarian ties and their cooperation in counter-terrorism.

    Earlier, Bulgarian Defense Ministry said US friendly fire was to blame for the death of one of its troops, killed as his unit patrolled some 160 kilometers south of Baghdad.

    An Italian intelligence agent was also killed in a hail of gunfire when a US patrol near Baghdad opened fire on the convoy whisking him and a rescued hostage to safety.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)