United States Troops Rescue 19-year-old from Al Qaeda Prison

A statement out of Multi National Forces-Iraq indicates that a person was rescued from an al-Qaeda-Iraq prison. The person released from the prison was a 19-year-old male, and the prison was located in al Hammadi, a village 10 miles southwest of Baqubah. His rescuers were members of the 2nd Squadron, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and it occurred during an air assault.

The 19-year-old hostage was bound to the ceiling of the building he was in with his arms pulled behind his back. He was taken to Forward Operating Base Warhorse, where his injuries were attended to. He suffered from dehydration, bruising, cuts, and joint injuries.

The individual was taken on October 25th and is quoted as saying that he was kidnapped, "at a shop by five men in a car, because of my brother who is in the Iraqi Army. They wanted information and for my brother and me to work for al Qaeda." The man said that he did not give in to al Qaeda in Iraq. He did not give them any information or promise loyalty to them.

He mentioned that he was soon going to stand trial for his refusal to help the al Qaeda. He was to be judged by an al Qaeda leader, and the penalty was going to be death.

"They beat me with cables while holding a gun to my head, but I would not work for them because I would not betray my brother," he stated, "these are very bad guys, they do bad things, I would never support them."

Lt. Col. Marshall Dougherty stated that al Qaeda has been attempting to force their ideas and goals on the people of the country, but that the people are rejecting the ideas of al Qaeda. They are not giving into the pressure even if it means death.

What many don't know, even some of those living in Iraq, is that al Qaeda in Iraq was not formed by Iraqi people. Al Qaeda in Iraq was started by foreign terrorists. Abu Musab al Zarqawi founded al Qaeda in Iraq. He was a Jordanian terrorist. His successor Abu Ayyub al-Masri was from Egypt. Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama Bin Laden when he founded al Qaeda in Iraq.