- Title: IRAQ: U.S. FORCES LAUNCH MAJOR OFFENSIVE IN WESTERN IRAQ.
- Date: 19th June 2005
- Summary: (W2) KARABILA, WEST IRAQ (JUNE 18, 2005) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) 1. MV/CU: U.S. SOLDIERS ON ROOFTOP OF HOUSE IN KARABILA (2 SHOTS) 0.12 2. LV: SMOKE RISING FROM BUILDING AT DISTANCE 0.19 3. TV: A CIVILIAN RAISING WHITE FLAG, U.S. SOLDIERS STANDING NEARBY 0.25 4. TV: CIVILIANS WALKING AWAY 0.34 5. TRACK: U.S. MILITARY VEHICLES DRIVING IN MUDDY STREET 0.45 6. GV/CU/PAN: U.S. SOLDIER BEHIND MOUNTED MACHINE GUN AIMING AS HIS VEHICLE ADVANCE; CLOSE OF MACHINE GUN (2 SHOTS) 1.03 7. CU: IRAQI SOLDIERS STANDING IN MIDDLE OF DEBRIS OF DESTROYED HOUSE 1.06 8. GV: TORTURING DEVICES DISPLAYED ON BLANKET OUTSIDE HOUSE 1.12 9. MV/CU: IRAQI SOLDIER PAGING A BOOK EXPLAINING JIHAD; CLOSE OF A BOOK PAGE SAYING THE "LEGITIMACY OF KILLING ATHEISTS" (2 SHOTS) 1.23 10. (SOUNDBITE)(English) LIEUTENANT COLONEL TIMOTHY MUNDY, SAYING "Marines came in and found four hostages that have been tortured already, evidence of electric shock, robe where they can hang them upside down, put their head in water and electricity. All of them with burns in their faces, rubber hoses they have been beaten severely each of them were handcuffed, hands and foot together.' 1.51 11. MV/CU: NOOSE DANGLING FROM CEILING OF HOUSE (2 SHOTS) 2.03 12. MCU: IRAQI SOLDIER INSIDE HOUSE LOOKING AT NOOSE 2.09 13. PAN/MV: IRAQI SOLDIER DISPLAYING BLANKET FIXED, WHICH IS USED TO COVER WINDOW 2.15 14. (SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) IRAQI SOLDIER NICKNAMED ABU ALAA, SAYING: "Iraqi forces together with the multi-national forces have launched a mission two days ago in Karabila area. When we arrived to the area we found weapons stores, missiles and bullets were fired on the Iraqi forces." 2.38 15. GV: SOLDIER INSIDE HOUSE SEEN FROM BROKEN WINDOW 2.44 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 4th July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KARABILA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVA9H5HKREKTXGT2K599M5VDPB17
- Story Text: U.S. forces launched major offensive in western Iraq.
About 1,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces backed by battle
tanks launched Operation Spear in the desert wastes around
Karabila and Qaim.
The offensive entered its second day Saturday in
Karabila, a dusty, blistering hot town about 200 miles west
of Baghdad, an area U.S. forces believe has become a
conduit for foreign militants and weapons.
Karabila's streets were empty, and the military said
about 100 people fled the town. Several buildings in the
town of 60,000 were damaged by shelling and airstrikes but
there was little sign of residents, apart from some white
surrender flags flying from homes.
U.S. aircraft and helicopters were in action overnight.
The U.S. military said Britain's air force has also taken
part.
Troops searching the town found four Iraqi hostages
beaten, handcuffed and chained to a wall in a bunker.
"Marines came in and found four hostages that have
been tortured already, evidence of electric shock, robe
where they can hang them upside down, put their head in
water and electricity. All of them with burns in their
faces, rubber hoses they have been beaten severely... each
of them were handcuffed, hands and feet together," said Lieutenant
Colo
nel Timothy Mundy.
Troops searching the bunker found nooses, electrical wire
and a bathtub filled with water for electric shocks and
mock drownings, Marines said.
Iraqi forces participating in the operation said that
weapons cashe and missiles were found in the town.
"Iraqi forces together with the multi-national forces
have launched a mission two days ago in Karabila area. When
we arrived to the area we found weapons stores, missiles
and bullets were fired on the Iraqi forces," said an Iraqi
soldier who gave his name as Abu Alaa.
The military said about 50 insurgents had been killed
in air strikes over the past two days, with three Americans
wounded.
Iraq's al Qaeda group, led by Jordanian Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, said no insurgents had been killed in the
strikes.
"They are lying ... their bombs fell on the Muslim public,"
the group said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web
site.
U.S. commanders blame foreign Islamists like Zarqawi
for some of the deadliest attacks of the insurgency.
They say he may be hiding in the western desert, a
stronghold of Saddam's Sunni Arab minority, where there
have been four major military operations since the
beginning of May.
The U.S. military command blames Zarqawi for a
surge in violence since the Shi'ite- and Kurdish-dominated
government took power in April, since when more than 1,000
Iraqis and some 120 U.S. troops have been killed in rebel
attacks.
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