A civilian, Razek al-Kazem al-Khafaj, had told AFP that 15 members of his family died when their pickup was blown up by a rocket Monday near Hilla south of Baghdad.

He said he was the only survivor from the family, which was fleeing fighting around Nasiriyah to the south.

In a statement, Central Command said it was "aware of the allegation that an Apache helicopter launched an attack that killed Iraqi civilians."

"Preliminary investigation by US Central Command has not turned up any evidence of this alleged incident. However, command officials are continuing to look into the allegation," it said.

"Coalition forces target only legitimate military targets and go to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties and damage to civilian facilities."

WAR.WIRE