A B-1B Lancer aircrew destroyed an al-Qaida torture compound and prison with six guided bomb unit-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions at 2:07 p.m. March 10 in Zenbaraniyah.
The bombing marked a change of fortunes for the village, where local villagers began standing up to the terrorists a little more than a month ago in the former al-Qaida hotbed south of Baghdad.
The 500-pound-class Global Positioning System-guided bombs struck the torture compound in a coordinated effort with Multi-National Division - Center officials and Iraqi forces. “This (airstrike) removes the last remnants of al-Qaida from this area,” said Army Lt. Col. Mark Solomon, the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Squadron commander.
Residents apparently cheered after the clearing and a former Iraqi intelligence officer had this to say:
“We all feel good,” Aubid Abdalla said. “It’s a dark past that is gone.”
Mr. Abdalla, a former Iraqi army intelligence officer, was encouraging local citizens to give coalition efforts a chance, when he was kidnapped. He spent 15 days in the facility and saw a young boy and an old man killed while he was held prisoner.
Less than an hour afterward, after the B-1B’s precision deliveries destroyed the al-Qaida torture facilities, Mr. Abdalla said the event had changed him.
“I’m a lot happier now,” he said. “It was like my mother gave birth to me again.”
A Fort Hood, Texas airman had the honor of delivering the final blow:
Senior Airman Joseph Aton, a joint terminal attack controller assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, directed the final clearance in the B-1B’s deliberate JDAM weapons delivery process.
“It was great to be part of this,” Airman Aton said. “You can tell the people were happy to have this place gone and it was awesome to make a difference for them.”
Awesome is right Airman Aton. Our finest and bravest so rock!
Also at My Pet Jawa
1 comment:
Waste of ordinance. But, it is good for the Iraqis to see so I am down with it. To bad we didn't pack some enemies inside it before we bombed it. LOL
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