DoD Releases Bombing Run Details To Aid UXO Efforts

Washington, D.C. The U.S. Army declassified 81 locations of targets recently bombed by U.S. lead coalition forces in the Iraqi city of Mosul. According to a memo released by Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, providing a list of geographic coordinates was done "for the sake of public safety." The memo also stated that the detailed list included the type of munition and the latitude and longitude of the target location "so that duly authorized experts may more easily locate, render safe, and dispose of possible coalition UXO."

The military does not normally declassify and release such data so soon after the bombing. The declassification process normally takes years, if not decades to work through the system. Officials with the State Department are reportedly in discussions with the military about getting similar data for Ramadi, Fallujah, Tikrit and other locations.