It seems like the scale of the Fallujah hostage housing was larger than I figured it would be. I thought it would be more concentrated into a smaller location as not to be discovered, but it seems that everything was spread out. I'm surprised one was not found before the actual assault on Fallujah began.

Seattle Times

U.S. troops have found close to 20 "atrocity sites" in Fallujah used by insurgents to imprison, torture and kill hostages, a U.S. military officer said yesterday.

Marine Maj. Jim West said in addition to weapons caches, troops clearing the city after a major U.S.-led offensive had found rooms containing knives and black hoods, "many of them blood-covered."

Briefing reporters at a base outside Fallujah, West said one room had "handprints on the walls and along the sides of the walls ... There was blood covering the entire wall and along the floorboard area."

He said troops had found signs of "torture, murder, very gruesome sights."

"We found numerous houses where people were just chained to a wall for extended periods of time," West said.

Tipped by: Blogs of War