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Probe of Iraqi civilian deaths includes childrenFrom Barbara Starr SPECIAL REPORT
• Interactive: Who's who in Iraq
• Interactive: Sectarian divide
• Timeline: Bloodiest days for civilians
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSWASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. military criminal investigation into the deaths of 15 Iraqi civilians last year includes a probe into how several children were killed, CNN learned Friday. The deaths occurred during a firefight between Marines and insurgents near Haditha, in western Iraq. The investigation involves about a dozen Marines, according to The Associated Press. Iraqi soldiers were involved in the firefight but are not part of the investigation, the AP reported. According to previous military reports, the incident on November 19, 2005, unfolded like this: A roadside bomb exploded next to a Marine convoy patrolling Haditha, killing Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, 20, of El Paso, Texas. Gunmen then attacked the convoy, and Marines and Iraqi soldiers fired back. When it was over, 15 civilians, including children, were dead, along with eight insurgents. In a news release the following day, the Marines reported that "15 Iraqi civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb." Military sources told CNN on Friday that during the small arms firefight, the Marines advanced toward at least three nearby houses. Investigators are trying to determine how the 15 civilians were killed and whether their deaths involved any criminal misconduct, such as undisciplined or indiscriminate shooting. Sources familiar with the broad outlines of the investigation said initial interviews led to enough conflicting information that senior commanders felt it was necessary to proceed with a criminal probe, which the military's Judge Advocate General then launched. Terrazas was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton, California. During the war, his unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). Estimates of the number of civilians killed in the three-year-long Iraq war vary. President Bush has said about 30,000 have died; others put the number much higher or lower. As of Friday, the Pentagon has reported 2,314 U.S. military deaths. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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