] BAGHDAD (AFP) - More than 100 children held in a prison ] celebrated their freedom as US marines rolled into ] northeast Baghdad amid chaotic scenes which saw civilians ] loot weapons from an army compound, a US officer said. ] ] Around 150 children spilled out of the jail after the ] gates were opened as a US military Humvee vehicle ] approached, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Padilla told an AFP ] correspondent travelling with the Marines 5th Regiment. ] ] "Hundreds of kids were swarming us and kissing us," ] Padilla said. ] ] "There were parents running up, so happy to have their ] kids back." ] ] "The children had been imprisoned because they had not ] joined the youth branch of the Baath party," he alleged. ] "Some of these kids had been in there for five years." Interesting to see stories such as this coming from the French press. Yahoo! News - Jailed Iraqi children run free as marines roll into Baghdad suburbs |