US forces rescue five hostages in Iraq

BAGHDAD - US forces freed five Iraqi hostages showing signs of torture in a raid in western Baghdad on Monday, the military said.
US forces discovered the hostages when they opened a padlocked room in a building they were searching in Karmah, a restive town north of Fallujah in the western Al-Anbar province, the military said in a statement.
"Inside were four men and a boy who had been kidnapped and severely beaten with chains, cables and hoses," the statement said, adding that the hostages bore the marks of torture.
"The boy stated the terrorists had hooked electrical wires to his tongue and shocked him," it said.
After being treated for their injuries and returned to their families the hostages told US forces that they believed their captors were foreign Arabs, judging by their accents.
Across Anbar, tribes and villagers who once supported the anti-US insurgency are increasingly turning against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which US forces say terrorises the populace with kidnappings and assassinations.

05/21/2007 10:45 GMT