Mortar Attack on Baghdad Prison Kills 21

AP ^ | Tue, Apr 20, 2004 | AP

[Eurotwit]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A barrage of 18 mortars hit a Baghdad jail Tuesday, killing 21 prisoners, the U.S. military said.

AP Photo

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said the mortar strike hit the Baghdad Confinement Facility run by the U.S.-led coalition. He told a news conference that preliminary reports said all the casualties were prisoners.

He said he did not know if the prisoners were suspected criminals or "security detainees," Iraqis detained on suspicion of involvement in anti-U.S. violence or in the remnants of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s Baathist regime. He had no further immediate details.

[leadpenny]

That's beyond insanity.

[Bogey78O]

Friendly fire.....Ummm...Thanks?

[Bon mots]

Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Saved us a whole lot of trouble.
Maybe some of the wounded won't make it?

[Reb Raider]

Maybe there was someone in there they didn't want talking to the coalition?

[truthandlife]

I guess the U.S. doesn't have any confidence in the Iraqi justice system. It is interesting that no Iraqi police or U.S. soldiers killed.

[r9etb]

There's got to be some sort of twisted logic to an attack like this. Maybe it's something to do with "fight to the death or we'll kill you." F***ing salamikazes.

[Peter J. Huss]

Likely that they were eliminating prisoners who knew too much and were a tatical threat.

[AppyPappy]

Have you ever noticed that these people have no sense of innocence? They will kill 50 people to kill one American or Israeli and never thing twice about it.

[leadpenny]

Probably right. A real loyal bunch of degenerates. Maybe it comes from too much incestuous inbreeding?

[smith288]

The mortors were probably coming from the green zone...lol.

All the shells were labeled "MADE IN THE USA"...

[mass55th]

Well, that's 21 less we have to worry about being released and rearming themselves.

[nuconvert]

whoa

[AmericanInTokyo]

My. How convenient.

[Ben Chad]

Achmed was trying to break his buddies out of the slammer.

[Dave Elias]

Did any escape?

[Defender2]

And all Achmed achieved was to put his terrorists buddies six feet under.

[Stagerite]

He said he did not know if the prisoners were suspected criminals or "security detainees,"

Allah will sort them out.

[metesky]

A barrage of 18 mortars hit a Baghdad jail Tuesday, killing 21 prisoners, the U.S. military said.

Mortars aren't that heavy, it's pretty easy to throw them a good distance.

Or did they mean mortar rounds?