US frees more prisoners from Abu Ghraib jail; at least 12 killed in attack south of Baghdad

Published June 6th, 2004 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

The U.S. military freed more detainees Sunday from a prison that has been the center of a scandal involving abuse of inmates by American soldiers. 

 

Relatives gathered early outside the prison gates and 

waved as the detainees were loaded onto buses and driven 

out of the grim, walled detention center on the western 

outskirts of the Iraqi capital. 

 

The families then piled into cars and followed U.S. 

Humvees and Iraqi police escorting the buses to towns where 

the prisoners will be discharged. 

 

Sunday's release was the fourth major one from the 

facility since the scandal broke in April over the abuse of 

detainees by American guards.  

 

Elsewhere, a US Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force has been killed in action in western Iraq, the military said Sunday. 

 

The Marine died Thursday from wounds received in a May 27 patrol and security operation in the Anbar province.  

 

In the meantime, gunmen attacked a police station located south of the capital Saturday, killing at least 10 Iraqi police officials and two civilians, police officers said Sunday.  

 

They added that attackers disguised as police entered the building in Musayyab and forced policemen into a cell at gunpoint before planting explosives in the police station.  

 

When locals tried to free the police, the explosives were detonated, witnesses said. A policeman who survived the attack told Reuters he was shot by the gunmen while guarding the entrance. The police station was partly destroyed by the explosions, witnesses said. (Albawaba.com)

© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content