US forces shot dead the 17-year-old son and another relative of the governor of northern Iraq's Salahuddin province in a raid on Sunday, local officials said. The US military said it shot two armed, adding it was later found they were both related to the governor. Governor Hamad Al-Qaisi's brother, Lieutenant-Colonel Saad Al-Qaisi, said American troops stormed a family house in the town of Beiji, where the governor's son Hussam and his cousin were staying. “They shot dead Hussam and wounded three others. This is barbaric and inhuman,” he said. A statement from the US military said its forces had wounded and captured an Al-Qaeda financer in the house. “As they entered the target building, coalition forces encountered two armed men. Perceiving hostile intent ... they shot and killed the men. It was subsequently determined that the two ... were related to the governor,” the statement said. Local officials said Governor Al-Qaisi had cut short a visit to Turkey because of the shooting. “We demand an investigation into this incident,” Deputy Governor Abdullah Jabara said. Iraq opens new airport Iraq opened a new airport in the southern city of Najaf on Sunday in what the prime minister said was a key step in the reconstruction of a country devastated by war. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, mostly Iranians, travel to Iraq every year. The new airport is expected to boost the numbers of pious tourists. At a ceremony, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki described the US$250 million airport as a vital element in Iraq's economic development. In another development, Jordan has granted entry visas to around 17,000 Iraqis in less than three months, the local press in Amman reported on Sunday, as the tiny kingdom struggles to cope with a huge influx of refugees. “There have been 9,489 visa requests for a total of 27,817 Iraqis between April 22 and July 9,” Interior Minister Eid Fayez was quoted as saying.
