CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq
Yesterday evening Iraqi Army soldiers and Marines responded to a local elderly man’s plea for assistance in Husaybah.Based on information from the man, Iraqi soldiers and Marines rescued two civilians, an adult male and a young girl, from a building coalition air strikes destroyed on Nov. 7. Both were taken by military forces to Al Qa’im for additional medical treatment.The local Iraqi witness told Iraqi soldiers and Marines that a group of insurgents forced their way into the home kill and two of its occupants. The al Qaeda in Iraq-led insurgents then locked the remaining family members in a room on the lower level of the house. The group then used the home to launch an attack against Iraqi and U.S. forces clearing the area. Subsequently, the house was destroyed by Coalition aircraft. The soldiers and Marines had no knowledge of the civilians being held hostage in the home at the time of the attack.Five bodies have been found by the Iraqi soldiers and Marines excavating the site.Insurgents used home invasion tactics extensively in during Operation Rohme (Spear) last June in the nearby city of Karabilah. During Operation Spear, insurgents violently entered homes and used women as human shields to prevent Marines from returning fire. Insurgents also held families at gunpoint while others in their gang attacked Coalition forces.Operation Al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) continues as Iraqi Army soldiers and U.S. Forces set conditions for a permanent security presence within the city. Patrols and targeted raids are also being conducted to root out any re