CNN.com - U.S.: Marines seize hospital hiding Iraqi soldiers - Mar. 25, 2003

NASIRIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marines on Tuesday seized a hospital in Nasiriya and captured nearly 170 Iraqi soldiers who had been staging military operations from the facility, U.S. authorities said.


No civilians were in the facility, which U.S. Central Command said was "clearly marked as a hospital by a flag with a Red Crescent." Marines confiscated more than 200 weapons, more than 3,000 chemical suits with masks and Iraqi military uniforms in the hospital, and found a T-55 tank in the hospital compound, Central Command said.


Marines had been fired at from the hospital a day earlier.


No civilians were injured in the operation and none were found in the hospital when Marines from Task Force Tarawa of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines went in, according to Central Command. Before they moved in, Marines used loudspeakers to instruct any medical personnel or patients inside to evacuate, authorities said.