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    Torture house leveled

    Torture House Leveled

    Photo By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky | Citizens hold up a piece of rubble from an al-Qaida torture house leveled by an Air...... read more read more

    By Kevin Stabinsky
    2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

    IRAQ - On March 10, Air Force bombers dropped six 500-pound bombs on a former al-Qaida stronghold in Zambraniyah, Iraq, as area residents, Iraqi army officials, town leaders and coalition forces looked on.

    "This removes the last remnants of al-Qaida from this area," said Army Lt. Col. Mark Solomon, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment commander.

    The structure, a group of three buildings discovered by coalition forces while clearing the area March 5, used to be a jail where terrorists would kidnap, torture and kill locals, said Jaleel Dawood Jabouri, a member of the Zambraniyah Sons of Iraq group.

    "We're happy to get rid of it," Jabouri said.

    Handcuffs on a metal window grate, electric wires with the insulation peeled away, hooks on doors and manuals describing how to torture people were all discovered during the initial clearing.

    Terrorists have been active in the area since 2004, Jabouri said. Threats such as torturing those who opposed them kept residents from acting out.

    "We could not fight them. Everyone left instead of getting together," he said.

    Maj. Ali Salamon, a 27-year IA veteran and commander of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th IA division working in the area, said the people were glad to finally see someone coming to their aid.

    "They needed our help," he said. "We came to create peace."

    The partnership between the IA and the SoI was a major reason for the success of the day's events, Salamon said.

    "We are all Iraqis," Salamon said. "We are working together to protect ourselves."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.10.2008
    Date Posted: 03.11.2008 16:30
    Story ID: 17260
    Location: IQ

    Web Views: 70
    Downloads: 42

    PUBLIC DOMAIN