From Stars & Stripes
Suspect in soldiers’ abductions in Iraq is detained
By Erik Slavin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, November 17, 2007
OWESAT, Iraq — Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and the Iraqi army detained a man on Friday suspected of abducting two soldiers missing since May 12.
Ibrahim Abid Aboud al-Janabi was detained after his sister, who says her family imprisoned and tortured her, told soldiers that al-Janabi mutilated and buried two soldiers’ remains in a sand pit a quarter of a mile from their home.
Soldiers dug holes at the initial site but came up empty. They will continue looking for remains among the vast sand dunes.
“We’re going back out there later this evening,†said Capt. Cliff Kazmarek, commander of Company B, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade.
The woman also gave soldiers information on roadside bomb and mortar locations, then told them about three of her other brothers’ insurgent activities.
Spc. Alex R. Jimenez and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, both of the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, were abducted after an ambush on an observation post near Yusufiyah this spring.
The body of Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., who was also abducted May 12, was found in the Euphrates River on May 23.
There is a 252 million dinar (about $200,000) reward for anyone who leads soldiers to Jimenez and Fouty, 101st Airborne Division soldiers said.
Acting on intelligence tips, the 3-187 conducted an air assault on Owesat, landing forces by helicopter at 4 a.m. in the farming village about 15 miles southwest of downtown Baghdad.
After entering other homes as part of a clearing operation and preparation for a new patrol base, Company B came to a house on the Euphrates River where a woman, 23, was locked in a small second story room.
The woman told interpreters that she had been electrically shocked and imprisoned for seven months.
“The conditions of the room, the smell and marks on her body indicates she’s telling the truth,†said an intelligence officer whose identity could not be revealed for security purposes.
At first, the family tried to convince soldiers that the woman was locked up because she was crazy; however, interviews with neighbors disputed the story.
Then she began establishing her credibility by naming high-value insurgent targets already on the soldiers’ lists and matching names to pictures. She also led soldiers directly to a pressure-pad roadside bomb.
The 23-year-old woman was taken into U.S. custody for protection, U.S. officials said.
Ibrahim and his three brothers were taken away in U.S. Black Hawk helicopters with Iraqi army escorts. All but Ibrahim will likely be taken into Iraqi custody, officials said.