KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - The governor of Iraq's Kerbala province, Aqil al-Khazali, said on Tuesday he had suspended all cooperation with U.S. forces because U.S. security staff last week used police dogs to search government buildings.
The incident occurred before a meeting between officials from the U.S. regional embassy in Al-Hilla and local officials at government offices in the city of Kerbala, 110 km (70 miles) south of Baghdad.
U.S. security staff ignored Iraqi personnel and angered local guards by using dogs to search the buildings where the talks were to take place, showing a lack of respect, Khazali said in a statement.
The use of dogs "created a situation of discontentment and anger from these acts so we decided to suspend the cooperation with them and we will not let them interfere in the future," Khazali said.
U.S. authorities said security staff had taken the normal precautions. "We regret that these procedures often cause inconvenience to Iraqi citizens and officials," said John Roberts, an information officer at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
"It is critical for us to continue to engage these citizens and officials as part of our official duties. We are confident that we can resolve this issue amicably with the provincial government."
Iraqi officials and troops often complain about the cultural insensitivity of U.S. military personnel. Many Muslims consider it degrading to have dogs brought into their homes or offices.
Provincial officials in Basra in southern Iraq said last week they would continue the suspension of relations with British forces in the region begun last month after British and Danish forces raided the homes of policemen in an operation to root out corrupt rogue elements.
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