Iraqi Orphanage Nightmare

(CBS) It was a scene that shocked battle-hardened soldiers, captured in photographs obtained exclusively by CBS News.

On a daytime patrol in central Baghdad just over than a week ago, a U.S. military advisory team and Iraqi soldiers happened to look over a wall and found something horrific.

"They saw multiple bodies laying on the floor of the facility," Staff Sgt. Mitchell Gibson of the 82nd Airborne Division told CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan. "They thought they were all dead, so they threw a basketball (to) try and get some attention, and actually one of the kids lifted up their head, tilted it over and just looked and then went back down. And they said, 'oh, they're alive' and so they went into the building."

Inside the building, a government-run orphanage for special needs children, the soldiers found more emaciated little bodies tied to the cribs. They had been kept this way for more than a month, according to the soldiers called in to rescue the 24 boys.

"I saw children that you could see literally every bone in their body that were so skinny, they had no energy to move whatsoever, no expression on their face," Staff Sgt. Michael Beale said.

"The kids were tied up, naked, covered in their own waste — feces — and there were three people that were cooking themselves food, but nothing for the kids," Lt. Stephen Duperre said.

Absolutely horryifying story. What's almost as sickening is the comments on the CBS website. The first post was a non-sequitor about how Johnny ***hole is so happy that Bush and his cronies are being held to account for their "crimes". I couldn't force myself to read beyond the third post.

2 posted on 06/26/2007 8:33:48 PM PDT by oakcon (Dulce et Decorum est pro Patria mori)

I just did read beyond the third post, don’t. Just don’t even bother reading the comments. Noones talking about the story, its just a Bush hate-fest. Why on earth did I expect better from CBS. *depressed*

3 posted on 06/26/2007 8:36:37 PM PDT by oakcon (Dulce et Decorum est pro Patria mori)

Any info on how we can adopt one of the children?

4 posted on 06/26/2007 9:32:29 PM PDT by Hoosier-Daddy (This Space Available for Rent)

Prayers for the children ~P~

5 posted on 06/26/2007 10:23:36 PM PDT by pandoraou812 ( zero tolerance to the will of Allah ...... dilligaf? with an efg.....)

I see the gist of the story being that our soldiers have rescued these poor little souls. In other words, we come across as the good guys, which we are.

I am so grateful we found those children and have been able to bring them back to some sort of health.

6 posted on 06/26/2007 10:27:48 PM PDT by Marie2 (I used to be disgusted. . .now I try to be amused.)

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