War News
Troops Free 42 Iraqis Held by al-Qaida
Troops Free 42 Iraqis Held by al-Qaida
Monday, May 28, 2007 11:08 PM
So. They were tortured? Did they use waterboarding? Loud music? Air too cold? Air too hot? Sleep deprivation? Panties on the head? Humiliation? What kind of torture did they use?
U.S. and Iraqi forces freed 42 kidnapped Iraqis some of whom had been hung from ceilings and tortured for months in a raid Sunday on an al-Qaida hideout north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
Military officials said the operation, launched on tips from residents, showed that Iraqis in the turbulent Diyala province were turning against Sunni insurgents and beginning to trust U.S. troops.
“The people in Diyala are speaking up against al-Qaida,” said Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq.
The U.S. military said troops located the hideout in a joint air and ground operation launched after receiving the tip.
U.S. officials said the hostages were kept in a small, concrete and mud compound and were forced to sleep on dirty linens in cramped rooms. Soldiers found rotting food in the building, the U.S. military said.
Some of the men suffered broken bones. Some had been captive for as long as four months. One said he was just 14 years old, Caldwell said.
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