The soldiers found an AK-47 assault rifle in a grassy area outside the shack and detained

The soldiers found an AK-47 assault rifle in a grassy area outside the shack and detained two NIKE SHOXi men

walking nearby, but a military spokesman said the men may not have been involved in Hamill’s abduction. The

soldiers said they believed that one of Hamill’s captors fled, leaving the weapon, after seeing that Hamill had

escaped and made contact with the soldiers.

[...]

It was not clear how Hamill was taken dozens of miles from Abu Ghraib to the shack near Samarra. Before leaving

for Germany, he declined requests for an interview.

The soldiers did say that they asked Hamill why he had not escaped earlier.

Forbes said Hamill told them he ” ‘could have escaped a bunch of times, but where am I going to go? One bottle

of water, where am I going?’ No map, nothing. He stayed there and hoped that somebody would come by. That was

his plan.”