Good News From The War On Terror 5/12
Iraqi Army soldiers lead operations, detain 21
TIKRIT, Iraq – Twenty one suspected terrorists were detained near Muqdadiya, Iraq during a joint Iraqi army and Coalition operation Wednesday.
Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi army, led the operation, supported by Soldiers from 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to provide a safe and secure environment for the people throughout the Muqdadiya Qadah.
“With the Iraqi army in the lead, this operation allowed the soldiers to gain confidence in their abilities as the true defenders of their nation,” said Lt. Col. Keith Gogas, 6-9 ARS commander. “They were able to successfully plan and conduct operations independent of Coalition Forces, which is a vital step toward their transfer of authority.”
The 21 detainees were from the Muqdad and Al-Ahmer districts of Muqdadiya, and were transferred to an IA detention facility for further questioning.
Rashid clearing continues: MND-B forces maintain momentum in Rashid
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Security Forces, along with Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad continued clearing operations in southwestern Baghdad neighborhoods May 10 and 11, seizing numerous caches and taking a sizeable amount of weapons and munitions off the streets of the Iraqi capital.
Soldiers from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, along with national police and Iraqi Army troops, continued the eighth and ninth days of Operation Dragon Fire/Arrowhead Strike 10 to rid the Rashid District of southwestern Baghdad of terrorists and criminals and protect the population.
The Soldiers confiscated a complete roadside bomb, assembled from a 57mm projectile packed with TNT and detonation cord attached. Also found in clearing operations and raids were AK-47 assault rifles, SKS carbine rifles, several 9mm pistols, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenade rounds and several hundred rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
Since the clearing operation began May 2, more than 100 weapons of various types and caliber have been seized. Approximately 250 large-caliber mortar and artillery rounds, as well as more than 5,000 rounds of small caliber ammunition and hundreds of bomb-making materials and components have been removed from circulation.
The operations conducted over the past two days included approximately 500 Iraqi Army and national policemen and more than 1,000 U.S Army Soldiers working together to keep pressure on those conducting activities against the Iraqi government, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces here.
VBIED DESTROYED, THREE DETAINED IN SADR CITY
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three suspected terrorists were detained and a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was destroyed during a Coalition Forces operation Saturday morning in Sadr City.
Coalition Forces raided a building in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad while targeting an IED network specializing in the use of explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs. At the site, Coalition Forces witnessed a man placing suspicious items in the trunk of a vehicle. Upon inspection, ground forces saw wires and other indicators the vehicle was equipped as a VBIED. They destroyed the vehicle on site and detained the man who had loaded the vehicle.
When Coalition Forces entered the targeted building, they found various IED-making materials and detained two more suspected terrorists on the scene. The individuals have suspected ties to a secret cell network in the area known for facilitating the transport of weapons and EFPs from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training.
