Good News From The War On Terror 3/22-3/23
NETWORK LEADERS CAPTURED OVER LAST THREE DAYS
BAGHDAD -- Over the past several days, Coalition forces in Basra and Hillah captured Qais Khazali, his brother Laith Khazali, and several other members of the Khazali network, an organization directly connected to the kidnapping and murder in January of five American soldiers in Karbala.
Yesterday in Baghdad, Coalition forces captured the individual believed to be the head of the Rusafa car bomb network, the Al Qaeda-Iraq organization responsible for some of the horrific bombings in eastern Baghdad in recent weeks. In yesterday's operation and in another operation early this morning, Coalition forces also captured three other individuals believed to be key members of the network, a vehicle prepared as a car bomb, and a cache of weapons and explosives.
Early this morning in Mosul, Coalition forces captured a former Saddam Fedayeen leader involved in setting up training camps in Syria for Iraqi and foreign fighters.
These actions, and others underway, reflect intensified and even-handed efforts to reinforce the rule of law in Iraq. They have also been complemented by recent initiatives to promote dialogue and reconciliation in Iraq.
We will provide further details of the ongoing initiatives and operations as they become available.
KIDNAP VICTIM RESCUED, SIX WEAPONS CACHES FOUND
BAGHDAD – Nearly 1,600 partnered Iraqi security forces and coalition Soldiers continued clearing operations today in the Iraqi capital’s Mansour Security District. This was the second day of clearing in the southern Ghazaliya and Ameriya neighborhoods.
During clearing operations coalition Soldiers from A Co, 1-23 Infantry Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division rescued a kidnap victim in an empty house handcuffed to a chair. The victim had three gunshot wounds in his leg and was evacuated to a coalition forces medical treatment facility. After a more extensive search of the house, Soldiers found a weapons cache consisting of one rocket propelled grenade launcher with 10 rounds; three AK-47 assault rifles; nine 60mm mortar rounds; seven hand grenades; plastic explosives; containers of ferric nitrate, sodium hydrogen and chromic oxide; and numerous explosive making materials.
In addition to the weapons cache above, five other weapons caches were discovered today totaling one 155mm artillery shell, three 120mm mortar rounds, two 60mm mortar rounds, three mortar rounds of unknown diameter, two improvised explosive devices, 15 pounds of homemade explosive, three RPG rounds, and two hand grenades.
Iraqi Army soldiers also detained two suspected terrorists with two assault rifles and 18 magazines of ammunition.
The operation coined as Arrowhead Strike 9 included approximately 500 Iraqi security forces from 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division; 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division; 4th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division; and 5th Battalion, 2nd National Police Brigade. Nearly 1,100 U.S Army Soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were also involved in the operation.
