U.S. Uncovers Vast Hide-Out of Iraqi Rebels

New York Times ^ | 6/5/05 | Edward Wong

[saquin]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 4 - American marines have discovered an elaborate series of underground bunkers used recently by insurgents in central Iraq, with heavy weapons, a kitchen and fresh food, furnished living quarters, showers and even a working air-conditioner, the military said Saturday.

The bunkers were built into an old rock quarry north of the town of Karma, an insurgent stronghold in Anbar Province that lies near the city of Falluja. The bunker system measures 546 feet by 883 feet, making it the largest underground insurgent hide-out to be discovered in at least the past year, if not during the entire war, said Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool, a spokesman for the Second Marine Division, charged with controlling western Iraq.

The military said the bunkers were discovered Thursday, around 5 p.m., as part of ongoing anti-insurgency operations being conducted in Anbar, a center of the Sunni Arab resistance and a province that stretches to Iraq's western border. In the past three days, troops with the Second Marine Division found more than 50 caches of weapons and ammunition in the province. Twelve were discovered in the immediate area of the rock quarry, Captain Pool said in an e-mail interview.

"Marines were out patrolling and looking for weapons caches, when out in the middle of the desert they see a lone building," he said. "They went to go and check it out. In one room there was a large, chest-style electric freezer. The marines moved it and found the hidden entrance to the underground quarry system."

"I can tell you that it is the largest underground system discovered in at least the last year," the captain added.

Near the building, marines also found evidence of a rifle-training range, including casings from spent 7.62-millimeter rounds, the kind used in the insurgents' favored Kalashikov rifles.

[saquin]

Slightly misleading headline (depsite the fact that the terrorists are called "rebels"). They didn't actually find the "rebels", just the empty hideout.

[Huck]

Good thing they're not able to get comfortable or anything. Do they have TiVo?

[EagleUSA]

Well at least they found the joint -- hopefully they destroyed it and its contents for sure. One less place to hide.

[SmithL]

Slightly misleading headline

That's because it's based on half-vast, agenda-driven, reporting.

[TADSLOS]

CHU HOI!

[JAWs]

The bunkers were built into an old rock quarry north of the town of Karma...

Talk about bad karma!

[bigsigh]

The dish gave them away.

[oolatec]

So, anyone want to hazard a guess as to when these tunnels were made? Pre or post OIF?

[xJones]

American marines have discovered an elaborate series of underground bunkers used recently by insurgents in central Iraq, with heavy weapons, a kitchen and fresh food, furnished living quarters, showers and even a working air-conditioner, the military said Saturday.

That's interesting, I wonder if Saddam had it built before the war, like he had his personal 'spider holes' built. Saddam seemed to believe that even though his armed forces couldn't beat the U.S. armed forces, it would be the daily terrorist attacks, month after month, that would drive out the Americans due to constant MSM publicity.

[ArmyTeach]

I noticed. My hopes were in vain.

[xJones]

The dish gave them away.

Nah, it was the "Baby Milk Factory" billboard.

[bigsigh]

I wonder if there's a picture of a real baby formula in Iraq on the www?

[cherokee1]

The NYT's seems to just keep making it up---either that or the guy writing the story has no idea what he's looking at. There's a surprise. No one is going to convince me that a tunnel measuring 500 X 800 feet has an entrance that can be covered up with a portable reefer??? Then there is a reefer and air conditioner , recently used, that don't seem to have a power supply??? Other wise why did it take our guys so long to follow the power lines??? To date the whole country seems to have about 85% power availability but I guess nothing's too good for the tunnel rats. Then there's the water system---how does a tunnel get that? And where does the shower drain to? All this under a small building in the middle of the desert?? C'mon NYT---give us a credibobble story.

[Edit35]

Can you imaging being tasked with being the first US soldier to enter that underground bunker, considering all the booby traps the terrorists set in these type of situations.

Hopefully our soldiers have those nitro-sniffing robots which go inside and check things out.

Too bad we didn't leave the bunker in place and use it to trap Zarquawi and crew.

[Capriole]

Why did they have shower facilities? Surely they don't take showers or anything??!

[Last Dakotan]

Not to sound pessimistic, but my problem is we had to stumble on to the place. It was not turned over by the locals.

[houeto]

Not to sound pessimistic, but my problem is we had to stumble on to the place. It was not turned over by the locals.

It's a 'Religion of Peace' thing dude.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Since this bunker was not discovered until now since the beginning of the Liberation of the Iraqi people from Saddam, would it not be to far fetched ? that there could be other hidden bunkers with PROOF that Saddam had those WMDs all along ?
I wonder what the Liberals/Democrats and the MSM would do and say if the US military were to come across a huge bunker filled with WMDs ? unlike the fiasco that happened last year during the Presidential campaign about the LOST weapons and weapons supplies.