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Troops discover ‘torture house’

Coalition forces discovered a building with blood-stained walls southeast of Fallujah, Iraq, late Monday night and rescued three Iraqis found shackled inside, the Army announced Wednesday.

The suspected “insurgent torture house” was destroyed after the bound hostages were rescued, according to a press release from Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

One of the victims was so badly beaten he had broken limbs, the press release said. He was examined and quickly evacuated by coalition forces to receive life-saving medical care.

“This is a perfect example of how information can save lives,” coalition spokesman Maj. Alan Crouch said in the release. “More often it’s the Iraqi army and police who use this information to help people, but the coalition forces will always be glad to use tips and information we receive to help civilians.”

During their patrol, soldiers from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry Regiment of the Minnesota National Guard discovered multiple weapons caches in other nearby houses early Wednesday while conducting intelligence-driven searches.

The discovery included a mortar targeting system and a sniper rifle with scope, as well as a Bongo truck with a mounted anti-aircraft gun and another vehicle rigged as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.

The Minnesota soldiers also detained four suspected insurgents in one house and six in another house. All were moved to another location for questioning, the release said.