The group of Polish soldiers that have been trapped at a Hilla police station has returned safely to its base, Reuters reported. The soldiers were trapped as Iraqi police and Al-Mahdi army militia engaged in an intense exchange of fire. A total of 20 Polish soldiers were trapped by several hundred rebel fighters loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr. According to Colonel Zdzislaw Gnatowski, the Polish soldiers, as well as a few dozen Iraqi police, had been encircled for several hours at their post at Hilla about 5km from their main base in Babylon.