BAGHDAD (AFP) -- A seven-year-old child brandishing a Kalashnikov was shot in the foot by U.S. troops during a raid in the hotspot city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Saturday.

Troops "conducted a mission in (the) Ramadi area today (Friday). While on patrol, the soldiers witnessed two men with weapons running into a nearby residence. The soldiers followed the men in order to apprehend them for questioning," a Central Command statement said. "Upon approaching the house, a seven-year-old child came out with an AK-47 rifle pointed at the soldiers. A soldier responded in self-defense and shot the child in the foot."

The statement said the child was evacuated to a nearby army medical facility for treatment and then flown to Baghdad.

The troops belong to the 1st Infantry Division.