AMY GOODMAN: You are listening to Democracy Now!, The War and Peace Report, the exception to the rulers. I’m Amy Goodman, as we go now to Fallujah. U.S. troops today fired into a crowd of thousands of people in the city of Fallujah, killing three people. At least 15 are in serious condition in the hospital. The people were marching to protest an even deadlier shooting on Monday in which 15 people were killed.

We’re going to turn now to Sophie Claudet, who is an Agence France-Presse reporter on the ground in Fallujah.

Welcome to Democracy Now!, Sophie.

SOPHIE CLAUDET: Thank you. Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us what happened?

SOPHIE CLAUDET: Hello?

AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us what happened?

SOPHIE CLAUDET: OK. First of all, sorry. This line is very bad, so I hope you can hear me.

What happened is, this morning I didn’t myself witness the incident during which three people were shot dead by American forces, apparently, according to eyewitness reports. What I saw for myself is the heavy American presence throughout the city, including tanks and APCs and heavily, heavily armed U.S. forces on the ground, a very hostile and tense population, very tense U.S. troops. What I could confirm, according to medical sources, that three people were killed. According to residents in the area, including a newly appointed official, medical sources and religious authorities, the demonstrators were not armed. And they say that the Americans — the American troops fired at them randomly, killing three people, injuring many others. To you.

AMY GOODMAN: I actually saw on CNN they said the people killed were boys under 11. Is that the case?

SOPHIE CLAUDET: Can you say it again? I couldn’t hear.

AMY GOODMAN: The age of the people killed, were they under 11?

SOPHIE CLAUDET: I’m not — I cannot confirm that report. I do not know. I do not know. All I can tell you is that people were protesting the killing of yet another 13 Iraqis two days before in that same city. And that’s why they staged this demonstration, which, according to eyewitness reports, was a peaceful demonstration. Three people were killed. I’m actually now following the funeral of two of those killed this morning; the third person was buried earlier today.

AMY GOODMAN: And can you described the procession?

SOPHIE CLAUDET: People are quite angry. I mean, for the time being, there is no political program. There’s no — just there is no [inaudible], the usual, you know, Muslim phrase. But we can feel that the atmosphere is quite tense in the city. And people — then again, these are just prediction, but people are saying that things could get much worse tonight. Then again, people are protesting the killing of 13 of their fellow citizens two days ago. They’re protesting the presence of U.S. forces here inside of the city. It’s quite — it’s a very conservative city, as a matter of fact. And they’re saying that the presence of American troops in their city is corrupting the youths and girls in the city. They’re asking, however, that the — they’re not asking for a full withdrawal; they’re asking for the U.S. troops to withdraw to outskirts of the city, because they realize that American troops are also essential to provide security in the absence of a local police force.

AMY GOODMAN: So, the Muslim religious leaders have met with U.S. forces?

SOPHIE CLAUDET: They have not — what did you say? Welcome U.S. forces?

AMY GOODMAN: Met with. Met.

SOPHIE CLAUDET: Yeah, well, people — on the one hand, people are saying full here, it seems, that the old regime was toppled, and they’re not asking for — the religious authorities and the newly appointed governor or representative for the governor here is not asking for a full withdrawal. They’re asking that the U.S. forces be not visible, if you will, inside of the city, because they feel — you know, it’s a conservative city, and they’re not — its presence is leading to these kind of demonstrations, clashes and so on. However, they’re saying that they — an American presence, until security is not reestablished, is also essential, as long as it’s not visible.

AMY GOODMAN: CENTCOM today — CENTCOM said in a statement that in Fallujah, Iraqi civilians, throwing rocks and firing weapons, attacked a convoy. The convoy returned fire, and the crowd was dispersed by the arrival of coalition helicopters. Do you dispute this, Sophie Claudet? Sophie, are you there? Well, it looks like we lost her. Sophie Claudet, speaking to us from Fallujah. She is a reporter with Agence France-Presse, her reports disputing, clearly, what the U.S. Central Command has said. Again, the latest fatalities, three dead in Fallujah, two critically wounded and 15 in the hospital at this point, when U.S. troops opened fire. They were protesting the killing of 15 people, the U.S. troops shooting dead 15 people, between 13 and 15, on Monday in Fallujah.