Good News From The War On Terror 5/19-5/20
COALITION FORCES DETAIN NINE IN SEARCH FOR MISSING SOLDIERS
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 11 individuals during operations Friday and Saturday, including nine suspected of involvement in the May 12 kidnapping of three U.S. Soldiers.
Coalition Forces continued to follow tips and information leads in the disappearance of three U.S. Soldiers, raiding a building near Amiriyah Saturday morning. During the raid, Coalition Forces detained nine individuals suspected of involvement in the kidnappings.
Friday, intelligence reports led Coalition Forces to a site in Baqubah where they detained two individuals allegedly associated with the command network of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
In other operations Saturday morning, Coalition Forces discovered two weapons caches. One cache south of Baghdad contained weapons, magazines and assault vests, and another northeast of Habbiniyah housed eight rockets. The weapons were safely destroyed on site.
Iraqi Forces detain alleged leader of terrorist group in Salah Din Province
BALAD – Acting on tips received from the local population, Iraqi Forces on May 18 detained the alleged leader of an Al-Qaeda affiliate group in Salah Din Province. Iraqi forces also detained eight other suspicious individuals during the operation.
Iraqi Forces also seized weapons and materials used in making improvised explosive devices (IED). This operation is aimed at disrupting terrorist networks in Salah Din Province.
Iraqi Forces conducted the search with Coalition Forces acting as advisors. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces were injured during this operation.
Terrorist safe house destroyed in southern Baghdad
BAGHDAD –Multi-National Division Baghdad forces launched a precision strike against an abandoned building being used by terrorist forces as a safe house and weapons cache site in southern Baghdad May 19.
The house, located in the area of Radwaniyah, was destroyed by aircraft-delivered precision munitions in a late-morning attack. MND-B and Iraqi Security Forces cordoned off the area to prevent any casualties from occurring as the result of collateral damage.
In recent weeks, multiple caches of munitions and bomb-making materials had been found on the premises, and MND-B troops obtained information from local nationals that Al Qaeda of Iraq (AQI) was using the building as a safe house for operatives. Additionally, a blue tanker truck that had been rigged as a vehicular bomb had been discovered parked outside the house and was disposed of before it could be used against the populace or coalition forces.
Coalition and Iraqi Forces knock enemy off balance during Operation Harris Ba’sil
CAMP RIPPER, AL ASAD, Iraq – Regimental Combat Team 2 and elements of the Iraqi Army’s 7th Division completed Operation Harris Ba’sil after eight weeks of interdicting and disrupting enemy routes and safe havens outside of the major cities of the Euphrates River valley in western al Anbar province.
The operation, dubbed “Valiant Guardian”, involved nearly 4,000 Marines, Soldiers and Sailors covering most of the 30,000 square miles of RCT-2’s operating area.
“We uncovered over 250 caches, arrested over 250 suspected insurgents and discovered over 100 improvised explosive devices,” said Lt. Col. Michael Manning, operations officer for RCT-2. “We clearly surprised them, the number of caches and detainees attest to that but more importantly, we let the enemy know that they can’t hide from us.”
This marked the first large scale operation for RCT-2 this year, supporting Multi National Force - Iraq’s Operation Farhd al Qanoon and utilizing the surge battalions sent to the Anbar Province. RCT-2’s operating area stretches from the Syrian border city of Al Qa’im down to the town of Hit, located northwest of Ramadi.
8 TERRORISTS KILLED, 34 DETAINED IN OVERNIGHT RAIDS
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed eight terrorists and detained 34 suspected terrorists during operations Sunday morning to disrupt the al-Qaeda command network.
Six terrorists were killed northeast of Karmah during continued Coalition operations to disrupt the al-Qaeda senior leader network. As Coalition Forces advanced toward a targeted building, the six terrorists emerged from a nearby vehicle, armed with automatic weapons and military-style assault vests. Coalition Forces, perceiving a hostile threat from an organized force, engaged the six men with an air strike, killing them.
Coalition Forces detained four suspected terrorists within the targeted building for their alleged ties to al-Qaeda senior leaders.
Coalition Forces approached a target southwest of Baghdad and were blocked by two armed men in tactical positions near the objective. Coalition Forces perceived a hostile threat and reacted appropriately, engaging the two terrorists and killing them.
Ground forces proceeded to secure the building and detained 14 individuals suspected of ties to al-Qaeda. At two other locations southeast of Fallujah, Coalition Forces detained 16 individuals suspected of being tied to the same network.
