 A U.S. Army medic from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, treats an individual rescued by U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers at a suspected al-Qaeda hideout six miles south of Baquba, Iraq, May 27. U.S. Air Force photo by A1C Christopher Hubenthal, Joint Combat Camera Center. During the raid Soldiers from 5th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, discovered the men, who claimed to have been held captive by al-Qaeda. Some claimed to have been held as long as four months. A joint air and ground operation, lead by the 5th IAD, was launched to locate the alleged AQI hideout after receiving information from a local citizen. The individuals, who were found in a small, concrete and mud compound located approximately one-half mile west of the village, were sleeping in cramped rooms on dirty blankets and pillows, according to Coalition Forces present at the site. Soldiers also described the surroundings as having rotting food inside the building and outside on the ground. The men were transported by Coalition Forces to a nearby combat outpost for further medical evaluation. The individuals were provided with food and water and were questioned about their abductors’ whereabouts. There was evidence of torture and some had broken bones. “This is one more example of how al-Qaeda treats the citizens of Iraq – and we mean ALL the citizens, not based along sectarian lines or any other lines,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver, a Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman. “This is another example of why we must win this fight against al- Qaeda.” (Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases) In other developments throughout Iraq: • As Soldiers continue to search for two missing comrades south of Baghdad, troops of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), detained six suspects for other crimes. • U.S. Army medic conducted a raid on Thursday in an eastern Iraq neighborhood capturing seven suspects linked to the terrorist network of al-Qaeda in Iraq. |
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