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Failed attack on Abu Ghraib prison leaves 1 insurgent dead, 7 captured
There were no injuries among Multi-National Force personnel or detainees at the complex as a result of the failed attack, which occurred between 6 and 6:30 a.m.
The attack began when several mortars exploded just outside the Abu Ghraib prison complex at about 6 a.m., resulting in no injuries. About 20 minutes later, MNF troops spotted three civilian pick-up trucks with machineguns on a road near the complex.
When one of the vehicles was fired upon, another pick-up truck approached at high speed, drove through a chain-link gate marking the outer perimeter, and immediately came under fire from the Marines securing the compound.
While under direct fire, the vehicle exploded before reaching the main security wall of the complex, killing one insurgent who appears to have been the lone occupant driving the pick-up truck. A number of 155-millimeter artillery rounds were found strewn among the debris of the vehicle, indicating that it was intended to be used as an improvised explosive device to kill MNF troops or destroy a section of the main security wall.
The other pick-up trucks used in the attack were later found by MNF troops, resulting in the capture of seven individuals.
Abu Ghraib has been targeted on many occasions by anti-Iraqi forces. The most serious attack occurred April 20 when mortars fired at the detention camp killed 22 Iraqi detainees and left over 100 more injured.
The detention facility currently holds about 2,800 detainees.
Release #040912e
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