Three children killed during U.S. attack on militants placing roadside bombs, military says

Above: Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Tank Battalion provide security while Marines from Regimental Combat Team 2 sweep the road for mines and IEDs in Anbar province in March

Three children were killed Friday during a U.S. attack on suspected militants trying to plant roadside bombs in the volatile Anbar province, the military said.

The deaths of the children, ages 7, 9 and 11, occurred after an American tank crew fired at three men who were believed to be placing the explosives on a major highway southeast of Fallujah, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad , the military said.

It was not immediately clear whether they died from the attack or secondary blasts from explosive materials at the site and the military said the incident was under investigation. Insurgents in the vast Sunni stronghold have often been accused of using civilians as human shields.

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