A clash between Iraqi insurgents and U.S. Marines has resulted in the deaths of five girls, the oldest of whom was ten and the youngest of whom was six months. Insurgents standing on the roof of a house fired at the Marines, who responded with tank fire.
The incident occurred in Ramadi, which is seventy miles west of Baghdad. It was triggered by the Marines’ discovery of a homemade bomb on the side of the road. They were working at diffusing the bomb when insurgents on the nearby rooftop opened fire.
Ramadi is a stronghold for Sunni Arab militants.