a dramatic police raid. His captors had simply dragged him and others from the building where they were held, put them back into trucks and dumped them at various locations around Baghdad. His account is confirmed by earlier reports, which stated that those released had been blindfolded and deposited in various parts of Baghdad. Five more detainees were reportedly released on Friday. They had been tortured. On Saturday 18 November the Education Ministry continued to insist that 66 people were still missing. The Interior Ministry spokesman said that all of the detainees had been released and the matter was now closed. Joint US and Iraqi forces conducted a raid on a mosque in Sadr City on Saturday. None of the detainees were found. On Sunday 19 November a further four detainees were released, who reported seeing one Ministry official, Hamid al-Jouani, killed. On Monday 20 November joint US and Iraqi forces conducted another raid in Sadr City. None of the detainees were found. From the above description of events drawn from mainstream media sources (please see references at end) making use of government statements and eyewitness testimony it is clear that the raid on the Interior Ministry was carried out as a complex military operation requiring detailed intelligence, careful preparation and extensive training. In fact, everything about this raid conforms with what we should expect of an operation conducted by Iraq's new US-trained, armed and supported specialist counterinsurgency paramilitary National Police commandos, who are specifically trained to conduct cordon and