Western Goldfields Announces Public Offering of Common Shares

Proceeds of the offering will be used to finance activities at Mesquite Mine, located in Imperial County, California, and for general corporate purposes

Marketing will be underwritten by a syndicate co-led by Wellington West Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets

Terms of the offering will be determined at the time of pricing

TORONTO, Jan. 17 /CNW/ - Western Goldfields, Inc. (TSX: WGI, OTC BB: WGDF.OB) today announced that it has launched a proposed public offering of common shares in Canada and the United States. The marketed offering will be underwritten by a syndicate co-led by Wellington West Capital Markets Inc. and BMO Capital Markets. The terms of the offering including the number of securities offered and the offering price will be determined at the time of pricing. The net proceeds of the offering will be used to finance activities at Western Goldfields' Mesquite Mine project and for general corporate purposes.

Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement may be obtained from Wellington West Capital Markets Inc., 145 King Street West, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1J8 (Tel: 416 642-1900, Attention: Scott Larin); or from BMO Capital Markets, 1 First Canadian Place, Distribution Centre, Toronto, Ontario, M5X 1H3 (Tel: 416 363-6996 x 224, Attention: Des Raposo).

Western Goldfields, Inc.

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Under a new, highly experienced, and dynamic management team, Western Goldfields is a gold producer focused on completing the expansion of its Mesquite Mine, located in Imperial County, California, and returning the mine to full production. Western Goldfields acquired the Mesquite property in 2003 from Newmont Mining Corporation. Newmont operated the mine until 2001 when it ceased operations, as the low gold prices at that time did not support expansion plans. However, Newmont continued the permitting process for expansion, and the permits were approved in 2002. Western Goldfields has continued producing gold from ore placed on heaps by the previous owners.

Western Goldfields, Inc. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol WGI and is quoted on the OTCBB under the symbol WGDF.OB. For further details, please visit www.westerngoldfields.com.

Forward-Looking Information

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Certain statements contained in this news release and subsequent oral statements made by and on behalf of the Company may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and similar Canadian legislation. Such forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "expects", and "hopes" and include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's plan of business operations, financing options and the consequences thereof, potential contractual arrangements, receipt of working capital, anticipated revenues, and related expenditures. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, those set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption, "Risk Factors". Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release serves as notice to shareholders as contemplated by Idaho Business Corporations Act (1979) section 30-1-26, to the extent applicable.

For further details, please visit www.westerngoldfields.com, or contact:

Brian Penny

Chief Financial Officer

(416)-324-6002

bpenny@westerngoldfields.com

Julie Taylor Pantziris

Director, Regulatory Affairs and Investor Relations

(416)-324-6015

jtaylor@westerngoldfields.com

Richard Wertheim

Investor and Media Relations

Wertheim + Company Inc.

(416)-594-1600

wertheim@wertheim.ca