Good News From The War On Terror 5/13-5/17
RASHID CLEARING CONTINUES: COMBINED FORCE SEIZES CACHES, DETAINS INSURGENTS
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Security Forces, along with Coalition Soldiers from Multi-National Division - Baghdad continued clearing operations in southwestern Baghdad neighborhoods May 14 and 15, detaining two suspects believed to be involved in anti-coalition activities and seizing seven caches containing explosively-formed projectiles, artillery and mortar shells, weapons and other bomb-making materials.
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 Operation Dragon Fire/Arrowhead Strike 10 to rid the Rashid District of southwestern Baghdad of terrorists and criminals and protect the population.
Iraqi Army troops from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division and Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment
"Black Lions" found six EFP arrays, as well as multiple caches of weapons and munitions in two houses located in the Amel neighborhood. In addition to the EFPs, 82mm mortar rounds, rockets, rocket-propelled grenade warheads and an anti-tank missile were found and disposed of by explosive ordnance disposal teams.
Stryker troops arrested two individuals at the residence where one cache was found, and turned them over to Iraqi National Police for questioning. The cache included 75 57mm anti-aircraft rounds and more than 50 pounds of explosives. The munitions and explosives were confiscated and disposed of by EOD.
Five other caches consisted of numerous AK-47 assault rifles, several machine guns and sniper rifles, small arms ammunition, assorted artillery and mortar shells and other bomb-making materials.
The two days of operations included approximately 250 Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police working with more than 800 U.S. Army Soldiers to keep pressure on against the extremist elements.
FOUR TERRORISTS KILLED, 30 SUSPECTS DETAINED IN OVERNIGHT RAIDS
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces killed four terrorists and detained 30 suspected terrorists during operations May 15 and 16 targeting the al-Qaeda in Iraq leadership network.
Late Tuesday night, Coalition Forces raided three buildings north of Karmah associated with an individual known to facilitate financial deals for al-Qaeda senior leaders. While
Coalition Forces searched the buildings, a truck with its lights off approached the cordon around the targeted building. After issuing multiple visual warnings, Coalition Forces fired warning shots, but the vehicle continued to approach the checkpoint.
Coalition Forces engaged the truck with disabling shots, stopping it. One individual got out of the truck and moved to retrieve items from the back of the vehicle, and Coalition Forces took appropriate self-defensive measures in response to the hostile threat, engaging the vehicle and killing four men. Meanwhile, Coalition Forces in the buildings detained 17 suspected terrorists.
An operation in Anbar province targeted individuals allegedly tied to an al-Qaeda senior leader responsible for vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks and attacks on Iraqi infrastructure. Coalition Forces detained seven suspected terrorists in two connected raids there Wednesday morning.
During overnight operations in Mosul, Coalition Forces detained one individual suspected of associating with a known anti-Iraqi forces facilitator with ties to al-Qaeda, and three suspected terrorists tied to al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership. Enemy forces left on the scene fired on Coalition Forces as they departed the objective.
Coalition Forces detained two suspected terrorists Wednesday morning in a raid along the Tigris River near Tarmiyah targeting individuals with ties to a known al-Qaeda leader.
IRAQ SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES DETAIN SIXTEEN SUSPECTS IN SEARCH FOR MISSING SOLDIERS
BALAD - Acting on tips received from the local population, Iraqi Special Operations Forces along with Coalition Forces May 16 detained 16 individuals during a search for three U.S. Soldiers missing since May 13.
The ISOF detained the 16 during search operations south of Baghdad.
The three soldiers have been missing since the attack on the Soldiers' convoy May 13 in Mahmoudiya. The attack left five U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers dead.
Iraqi Forces conducted the search with Coalition Forces acting as advisors. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces were injured during this operation.
APACHE CREW DESTROYS INSURGENT TARGETS
BAGHDAD - Multi-National Division - Baghdad attack helicopters destroyed two insurgent vehicles May 15.
An AH-64D Apache helicopter crew from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division destroyed two insurgent vehicles with weapon mounts while they were concealed in an orchard, possibly destroying a cache of weapons as well.
The Apache was conducting a reconnaissance mission supporting the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, when the crew spotted the trucks and potential cache.
The crew positively identified the targets and received clearance to engage the three targets. All three targets were destroyed.
IRAQI SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES DETAIN SUSPECTED TERRORIST LEADER IN BASRAH MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained the suspected leader of an alleged terrorist cell during an early morning raid May 13 in Basrah. The targeted individual is alleged to be the leader of a rogue element of the Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) which is involved in extensive improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in the Basrah area. ISOF also detained five other suspicious individuals in the area during the raid.
ISOF raided a second location and seized a large cache of weapons and other materials including:
* Two SVD-7.62mm sniper rifles with two scopes and magazines
* One RPG and 23 RPG round
* 23 RPG boosters
* 2 RPG sights
* 7 C-4 explosive blocks
* Four IEDs
* Numerous IED components, including command detonation wires
* EFP (explosively formed penetrators) components
* Propaganda materials
* ID cards and photos
* One cell phoneOne Iraqi Soldier suffered non-life threatening injuries. No Coalition Forces were injured during the operation. Coalition Forces served as advisors during this operation.
