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CBS: US troops rescue abused Iraqi orphans; Iraqi minister calls story a lie
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Thursday June 21, 2007
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CBS News reported this week on the rescue by US troops and local Iraqi leaders of two dozen naked, emaciated, and feces-covered mentally disabled children that they found tied to their cribs in a Baghdad orphanage.

The orphanage kitchen was packed with food and the shelves were filled with new clothing, which the soldiers believe was being sold at local markets instead of being used for the orphans. The caretaker and two workers have since disappeared, while two security guards are under arrest. The children are being well cared for in a a different orphanage, but that facility can not hold them permanently and their long-term situation is unresolved.

The Iraqi Ministries of Health and Labor initially promised to investigate the situation, which has caused shock in Iraq and throughout the world. However, CBS reports in an update that instead of taking responsibility, the Labor and Social Affairs Minister has now lashed out at the US, calling it Iraq's enemy and claiming the boys were perfectly healthy and the CBS story was a lie.

The following video is from CBS's Evening News, broadcast on June 18, 19, and 20. A transcript of the first segment is available at CBS News.