U.S.
Bomber Destroys Al Qaeda in Iraq Jail, Torture Facility
Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:46:00
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U.S. Bomber Destroys Al Qaeda in Iraq Jail, Torture Facility By Tech.
Sgt. Joel Langton, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
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| WASHINGTON, March 11, 2008 - Three buildings that had served as an al Qaeda
detention and torture facility were destroyed yesterday by a U.S. military
bomber.
An al Qaeda in Iraq torture compound and
prison in northern Zambraniyah, Iraq, is destroyed after being hit with six
500-pound precision-guided bombs dropped from a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer
bomber March 10, 2008. Photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, USAF
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
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B-1B Lancer bomber used six 500-pound, global positioning system-guided bombs to
level the compound located in Zambraniyah, a village south of Baghdad, according
to officials. "The precise targeting, synchronized employment and
focused effects that eliminated these facilities demonstrate the outstanding
capability our integrated ground and air team brings to this fight every day,"
said U.S. Air Force Col. Robert Gass, commander of 379th Expeditionary
Operations Group.
The targeted compound consisted of three main
buildings along with several smaller shelters. It was apparent that terrorists
had used the facility as a place to hold and torture captives, officials noted,
citing a post-attack discovery of handcuffs attached to walls -- several of
which were blood-splattered -- and bare wires plugged into nearby electrical
outlets.
The villagers began standing up to al Qaeda terrorists a little
more than a month ago, officials said.
The joint operation featured U.S.
and Iraqi ground forces, as well as American military air assets, officials
said. A concerned local citizens group also helped provide security during the
operation.
U.S. soldiers found several interrogation manuals in the
compound after the air strike.
"This (air strike) removes the last
remnants of al Qaeda from this area," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Solomon, 6th
Squadron, 8th U.S. Cavalry, commander.
Aubid Abdalla was kidnapped and
held for 15 days in the now-destroyed al Qaeda prison, but later escaped. He
said he witnessed the deaths of a young boy and an old man during his captivity
and that it was a new day for the village as he looked into the bomb's craters.
"We all feel good," Abdalla, a former Iraqi Army intelligence officer,
said. "It's a dark past that is gone."
Air Force Senior Airman Joseph
Aton said he was glad he played a role in the destruction of the al Qaeda jail
and torture facility. "It was great to be part of this," Aton, a controller who
assisted in coordinating the path of the B-1's precision-guided munitions, said.
"You can tell the people were happy to have this place gone, and it was awesome
to make a difference for them."
The mission's objective was twofold,
explained Air Force Lt. Col. John Nichols, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron
director of operations and coordinator of the sortie. First, to destroy
facilities used to illegally detain, falsely convict, and torture innocent Iraqi
civilians; second, to bring closure to friends and families of the victims.
"Words can never replace the loss many Iraqi families suffered, but
we're honored to have been part of a mission to help rid Iraq of al Qaeda
operatives," Nichols said.
The successful mission also "strengthens and
reminds the local leadership and Iraqi people that we are dedicated to the
elimination of al Qaeda in Iraq," the colonel added.
(Langton is
assigned to U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs. Air Force 2nd Lt. Tania
Bryan, also attached to AFCENT, contributed to this report.)
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Related Sites:
U.S. Air Forces Central
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A handcuff if left behind in an al
Qaeda in Iraq torture house and prison in the northern part of the village of
Zambraniyah, Iraq, March 10, 2008. Precision-guided munitions dropped by an Air
Force B-1B Lancer bomber destroyed the terrorist facility. Photo by Master Sgt.
Andy Dunaway, USAF
Download screen-resolution
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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class
Daniel String puts his radio and gear on after a B-1B Lancer bomber successfully
dropped six 500-pound precision-guided munitions onto an al Qaeda in Iraq
torture house and prison in the village of Zambraniyah, Iraq, March 10, 2008.
Photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, USAF
Download screen-resolution
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