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| Iraq |
| Mortar shells hit Baghdad prison killing seven inmates |
| 2007-12-10 |
| Mortar shells slammed into an Interior Ministry prison on Monday, killing at least seven inmates and wounding 23, police and a hospital official said. A major oil refinery came under fire in a separate attack elsewhere in the capital, officials said, sending up billowing black smoke. The mortar rounds hit a prison made up of several cell blocks, each containing prisoners accused of terrorism-related crimes or civil offenses, police said. Police said American troops sealed off the area and were investigating the bombardment, which took place about 6:30 a.m. The U.S. military said it had no immediate information, and Iraqi Interior Ministry officials could not be reached for comment. A hospital official said the inmates were still asleep when the mortars hit, one landing directly on a cell and two others nearby. Casualties were sent to a hospital inside the Interior Ministry compound for treatment, the official said. Elsewhere in Baghdad, a rocket or a mortar shell hit an oil refinery on Monday, police and an Oil Ministry spokesman said. The U.S. military confirmed an attack in the area. Assim Jihad, a spokesman for Iraq's Oil Ministry, said a rocket or mortar shell landed on a storage tank around 6 a.m. He said no casualties were reported and the plant was still operating. "The fire is under control and within a few hours it will be extinguished. This will not affect production," Assim told The Associated Press. A police official said the fire was caused by a 120 mm mortar round. The police and hospital officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details of the attacks. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #2 Both stories are not true. The refinery fire was accidental. The shelling hit a detainee holding area at one of our forward operating bases. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2007-12-10 22:02 |
| #1 Let that mortar team know they have their prison target locked in, and they may fire for effect. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-12-10 08:06 |