U.S., Iraqi Forces Thwart Prison Escape, Seize Weapons

American Forces Press Service ^ | Dec 28, 2005

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2005 – U.S. and Iraqi forces thwarted a prison escape today and destroyed five weapons caches and seized money and passports yesterday, U.S. military officials in Baghdad reported. Four Iraqi prison guards, an interpreter and four prisoners died and a U.S. soldier and five prisoners were injured when 16 prisoners tried to escape after storming the armory and obtaining weapons. All prisoners are accounted for.

The 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team found nearly 400 mortar rounds, along with explosive propellant, artillery fuses, small-arms ammunition, an anti-tank missile and an anti-personnel mine near Hawijah in north central Iraq.

A cache near Bayji yielded mortar tubes, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, RPG warheads, plastic explosives and small-arms ammunition.

Another cache near Bayji contained artillery shells, anti-aircraft artillery rounds, mortar tubes, RPG launchers and bulk explosives.

Third Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force soldiers and coalition forces found two weapons caches north of Sadah. They contained makeshift rocket launchers, mortar base plates, and mortar rounds, a machine-gun tripod and two rockets.

Also near Sadah, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers detained a suspect where they found 10 Saudi Arabian passports, several others of unknown origin, $1,900 in U.S. currency and 65,000 Iraqi dinar. A global positioning system device they found a day earlier led them to the site.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

[SandRat]

Bet you didn't quite hear it this way on the MSM newscasts.

[Fatuncle]

I am left with the impression that our troops are finding and destroying these caches more often than the contents are being used against them.

[SandRat]

Yep! Get that same feeling.

[tet68]

A global positioning system device they found a day earlier led them to the site.

Someone using their head. Good work guys!

This just in, Democrats call for investigation of Bush
security teams search of indigent GPS devices.
"This sort of invasion of the rights of the Iraqi people
must stop," said Ted Kennedy.

[Calpernia]

U.S. and Iraqi forces thwarted a prison escape today and destroyed five weapons caches and seized money and passports yesterday, U.S. military officials in Baghdad reported. Four Iraqi prison guards, an interpreter and four prisoners died and a U.S. soldier and five prisoners were injured when 16 prisoners tried to escape after storming the armory and obtaining weapons. All prisoners are accounted for.

The 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team found nearly 400 mortar rounds, along with explosive propellant, artillery fuses, small-arms ammunition, an anti-tank missile and an anti-personnel mine near Hawijah in north central Iraq.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the pings.

In the past 2 weeks, I have listened to 2 different American Iraqi's on the radio and heard my sister tell of a repairman with the same message, "Thank you America, Please do not stop now!"

They left 11 to 20 years ago and still would be in fear of
being murdered if they return to Iraq, by Saddams partners.

They say we have done the right thing by going there.

I was glad that my sister had the chance to hear the man's story, as she lives in Seattle and was not so convinced of the need for this war.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!