British troops break up Iraqi death squad, rescue hostages
The BBC has reported that over 1,000 British troops were involved in a morning raid, backed up by tanks, to break up a death squad ring in Baghdad and arrested seven Iraqi police officers suspected of corruption. Their target was the Serious Crime Unit which British forces in Basra say was being used as a cover for death squads and criminal activities which they controlled; rather than solving serious crimes, the unit was carrying them out such as the killing of 17 police academy employees six weeks ago.
Was surprised to see them involved in the American area of operation which would indication a great level of cooperation between the allies, and adds to the praise Her Majesty gave during her message to the Armed Forces this week. I was especially impressed with the photo here used by Alaska Report (news and information since 1999) to show the troops, although it does seem rather dated...
UPDATE: According to the New York Times, the British forces manged to rescue 127 prisoners from almost certain execution who were held in “appalling” conditions as they were crowded into a 30 foot by 40 foot cell with two open toilets, two sinks and just a few blankets spread over the concrete floor. "A significant number showed signs of torture. Some had crushed hands and feet, while others had cigarette and electrical burns and a significant number had gunshot wounds to their legs and knees."
2 comments:
I can't find any other items that mention Baghdad being the site for British justice, only Basra. What I did find particularly inspiring was Maj. Charles Burbidge countering the claim that the Iraqis were not warned beforehand and this was a unilateral move on the part of the British occupiers: the Iraqi PM "made a very clear indication that he wanted the serious crimes unit to be disbanded."
So they blew the entire building up! That's being thorough!
Well done lads
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