Three Iraqi civilians were killed Tuesday, one of them a 10-year girl, when a stray US mortar round slammed into the backyard of a home near the main US base here, a US soldier said.
US troops fire mortar rounds across the Tigris River from their base in the former hometown palace of dictator Saddam Hussein several times a day.
US commanders describe the firings as a "harassment and interdiction" mission aimed at preventing insurgents from setting up firing positions in meadows across the river to attack the clifftop palace.
"No details are yet available as to how or why the missile went astray," the soldier said.
The dead were taken to Tikrit General Hospital. The other two victims of the 120 mm mortar round were identified as young adults, one male and one female.
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