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wrbones
04-08-03, 08:27 AM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-04-08-bloodstained-pow-uniforms_x.htm



Marines find bloodstained U.S. uniforms
By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY

MARINE COMBAT HEADQUARTERS, Central Iraq — U.S. Marines raiding an Iraqi military prison in Baghdad found bloodstained uniforms belonging to at least two American prisoners-of-war, officers here said Tuesday.

The Marines attacked a sprawling 54,000 square foot compound at Rashid airfield in the southeastern corner of the city after receiving intelligence reports that up to seven POWs were being held there. The U.S. Army soldiers were seized by Iraqi forces March 23 after their convoy took a wrong turn traveling through Nasiriyah, in southern Iraq.

Battling through platoon-sized units of Iraqi paramilitaries, the Marines found the tops of two Army chemical protective suits with the names of two of the POWs. Some unnamed desert camouflage uniform trousers also were found. "Some of the uniform items appear to have been shot," said Lt. Col. Nick Morano, 41, senior watch officer at the Marine command post here in central Iraq.

Used syringes and spent antibiotics packages were found alongside the uniforms, which officers believe indicates that the POWs received some medical care.

Elements of the 1st Marine Division are continuing to search the facilities at Rashid airfield, which include a military hospital, military prison, and a headquarters for the Saddam Fedayeen paramilitaries. "It's conceivable they may be nearby," said Morano, referring to the POWs.

Meanwhile, as American forces continue to expand their operations in the Iraqi capital, two-thirds of the Marine division is already within the city limits of Baghdad. More Marines are scheduled to move in.

Iraqi resistance remains sporadic and uncoordinated, officers say. Yesterday, only four of 34 Iraqi artillery missions managed to land shells anywhere near Marine units, Morano said.

"It's clear they don't have the command and control capability to mount an effective, organized defense," Morano said. "Unit discipline has broken down."

Marine units are battling a "hodge podge" of Iraqi forces made up of isolated Republican Guards and paramilitaries. The Marines are striking Baath Party headquarters and other regime targets based on "specific intelligence," Morano said.

North of Baghdad, in Saddam Hussein's ancestral home of Tiktrit, Iraqi forces are reported to be dispersing to dug in defensive positions.