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IRANIAN MILITARY "CAPTURED" MEMBERS OF 1092ND ENGINEERS - National Guard Activated Prior To Iraqi War |
| (06/04/2003) |
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Four soldiers from the Army's 1092nd Engineer
Company, a civilian Army contractor, two civilian captains
and two boat drivers were taken by force by the Iranian military. The 1092nd Engineers include the Spencer Detachment. They, and several other community National Guard units, are attached to Parkersburg. They were activated prior to the Iraqi war. Rumors in the region indicated the group was captured, but the Hur Herald learned today they were more likely detained. The incident appears to have caused few problems. The group was sailing up the Shatt al Arab waterway in the al Faw peninsula Sunday to pick up Iraqi South Oil Co. personnel when they were taken by force by Iranians, a spokesman, Cmdr. Dan Gage, said from Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida. The nationalities of the civilians were not available. The boats were to take the oil company personnel to the Mini al Bakr platform to conduct a survey of the oil platform when the Iranians blindfolded them and took them to a building where they were interrogated throughout Sunday night, Gage said. On Monday, the Iranians took the group back to their boats and released all of them except the two drivers, Gage said. A Chinook helicopter located them near the waterway Monday, Gage said. U.S. Navy crew members drove the boats to Kuwait. Initial medical examinations indicate there were no injuries or signs of physical abuse, Gage said. The group may have moved into Iranian territorial waters, he said. The Mini al Bakr platform is very close to Iran's declared international water boundaries. A spokesman from the 1092nd Engineering Battalion's main headquarters in Parkersburg confirms several soldiers were detained and questioned for unknown reasons.The spokesperson said "You know as much about it as we do," refering to wire reports. The Herald was attempting to obtain more accurate information Tuesday night. |
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