The U.S. military had no immediate comment on the report. It was not clear from witness accounts whether his wound was fatal.

The shop owner, who refused to give his name, said the soldier had come into the DVD shop in the Kazimiyah neighborhood in the northwest of the city at around 11 a.m. and picked up two discs.

"He took out dollars from his pocket and as I looked at the money I heard a bang. He froze and then fell backwards," the owner told Reuters Television. "Two other soldiers came in, picked him up and took him away."

Other witnesses corroborated the owner's version. One said he saw a young man shooting the soldier at close quarters in the lower head.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in a spate of attacks on Thursday as armed resistance to American and British military occupation appeared to be rising.