Jessica Lynch

Jessica Lynch (born April 26, 1983) in Palestine, West Virginia. Lynch, a Quartermaster Corps Private First Class (PFC) in the United States Army, was a prisoner of war of the Iraqi military in the 2003 invasion of Iraq who was rescued by United States forces on April 1, 2003. Lynch's rescue was the first of an American POW since World War II and the first ever of a woman.

Prisoner of war

After some time in the custody of the Iraqi army regiment which captured her, Lynch was taken to a hospital in Nasiriya. Iraqi hospital staff, including Doctors Harith

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Al-Houssona and Anmar Uday, claim to have shielded Lynch from Iraqi military and government agents who were using the hospital as a base of military operations. U.S. forces were tipped off as to Lynch's whereabouts by an Iraqi, sympathetic to her plight, who told them she had been tortured and injured but was still alive. The Iraqi was described as a 32-year-old lawyer, initially described only as "Mohammed" and later identified as one Mohammed Odeh al Rehaief. In light of Mohammed's role in Lynch's rescue, Mohammed and his family were granted refugee status by American forces.

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Initial reports indicated that Mohammed's wife was a nurse by the name of Iman in the hospital where Lynch was being held captive, and that while visiting his wife at the hospital, Mohammed noticed that security was heightened and inquired as to why. However, hospital personnel later confirmed only part of Mohammed's story, indicating that while Mohammed had indeed visited the hospital, his wife was not a nurse there, nor was there any nurse by the name of Iman working there. While visiting the hospital from which Lynch was eventually extracted, Mohammed claimed that he observed an Iraqi colonel slapping Lynch. "My heart stopped," said Mohammed, "I knew then I must help her be saved. I decided I must go to tell the Americans."

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Mohammed's story has been disputed by doctors working at the hospital, who claim that Lynch was shielded and protected from Iraqi military personnel by hospital staff and was cared for well throughout her stay at the hospital. Moreover, according to reports, on March 30, Dr. Al-Houssona reportedly attempted to have Lynch delivered to the U.S. forces, an attempt which had to be abandoned when the Americans fired on the ambulance carrying her. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/3028585.stm

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According to Mohammed's version of the events leading up to Lynch's rescue, he walked six miles to a United States Marine checkpoint to inform American forces that he knew where Lynch was being held. After talking with the marines, Mohammed was then sent back to the hospital to gather information that was used to plan Lynch's rescue. Allegedly Mohammed returned to the checkpoint with five different maps of the hospital and the details of the security layout, reaction plan, and shift changes.

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The U.S. military reportedly learned of Lynch's location from several informants, one of whom was Mohammed. After Mohammed came forward and confirmed Lynch's location, officials with the Defense Intelligence Agency equipped and trained an unnamed person, possibly Mohammed, alternatively listed as an Iraqi informant and as a CIA agent, with a concealed video camera. On the day of the raid, the informant walked around the hospital, secretly videotaping entrances and a route to Lynch's room. Ultimately, Mohammed was reportedly paid for his services.

Related Topics:
Defense Intelligence Agency - CIA

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On April 1, 2003, U.S. Marines staged a diversionary attack, besieging nearby Iraqi irregulars to draw them away from Saddam Hospital in Nasiriyah. Meanwhile, an assault element of what is believed to be Navy SEALs and a security force of Army Rangers launched the nighttime raid of the hospital and successfully rescued Lynch.

Related Topics:
Navy SEAL - Army Ranger

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After the operation, a large amount of criticism was levied on the American forces that raided the hospital, comparing the raid to an overdone Hollywood movie. According to the doctors, they were herded into groups, treated like insurgents and valuable hospital property was needlessly damaged and destroyed. Additionally, the doctors claimed that the Iraqi military had left the hospital the day before, and no one in the hospital offered any resistance to the American forces during the raid. However, given the classified nature of the special missions units which likely led the rescue effort, it is unlikely that these claims will be officially denied by the US military. It can, however, be readily assumed that the tactics employed during the raid were intended to minimize risk to US forces and to take into account the many possible threats which a potential hostage situation may contain. Some critics avail themselves of 20/20 hindsight and unconfirmed facts to allege that there were no threats to the US rescue force. However, the details of the operation are still classified and there may well have been resistance. Nonetheless, even if there was none, US forces do not usually take material participants in a hostage-taking at their word that everything is clear and safe. In most cases, doing so would likely be quite detrimental to force safety.

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