Good News From The War On Terror 7/14
Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces kill insurgent cell commander in Baghdad
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces killed a rogue Jaysh Al-Mahdi Special Group cell commander July 11 during an intelligence driven operation in eastern Baghdad.
Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces entered the residence to detain Said Jaffer for questioning. When the insurgent commander brandished a pistol, the team verbally instructed him in Arabic to drop his weapon. However, Jaffer refused to comply and the team engaged the insurgent with well-aimed and proportional fire.The high-level rogue JAM leader has a history of terrorizing the New Baghdad area by extorting money, kidnapping and carrying out extra-judicial killings on innocent citizens, who resisted his criminal influence in their neighborhoods.
As a commander of more than 120 fighters, his cell is responsible for engaging military and police forces with small arms fire and emplacing explosively formed projectiles along travel routes. The lethal roadside device has been the cause of many Iraqi and Coalition deaths.
Intelligence shows a clear link to his group partnering with outside Persian extremists, whose goal is to destroy the legitimate government of Iraq and create instability in the region.
Air strike kills five insurgents; Raid nets four al-Qaeda insurgents
BAGHDAD – A Coalition Forces air strike killed five insurgents who were observed planting an improvised explosive device along a heavily traveled route in Diwaniyah, July 12.
During routine aerial reconnaissance in the Diwaniyah area, Coalition Forces spotted the five individuals emplacing an IED on a route used regularly by Iraqi Security Forces as well as civilian drivers. With the area cleared of civilians, the Coalition Forces conducted the aerial strike with well aimed and proportional force, killing the targeted subjects.
Iraqi Security Forces confirmed that the five insurgents died as a result of the blast.
In a separate operation, Iraqi Security Forces conducted an early morning raid in Tal Afar detaining three al-Qaeda cell leaders, July 12.
With Coalition Forces present as advisers, Iraqi Security Forces raided a residence in the Sh’War village of northwest Iraq and detained their primary suspects without incident. One other suspicious individual present during the raid was also detained.
The primary targets of this operation are alleged to be responsible for establishing a safe haven for other al-Qaeda members in Tal Afar as well as conducting attacks against Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition Forces and local Iraqi people.
Arrowhead Ripper update: Baqouba residents return to work
BAQOUBA, Iraq – Baqouba residents are returning to work and coalition and Iraqi ground forces continue to make significant seizures twenty-four days into Operation Arrowhead Ripper.
More than 100 workers and 50 security guards returned to work July 11 at Diyala Electrical Industry because of increased security. DEI repairs and manufactures a wide variety of products essential for power distribution and is Baqouba’s largest company, capable of employing nearly 3,000 people. The company has already repaired a generator for the local government to install and use.
The Iraqi army is providing combat power throughout Baqouba as Arrowhead Ripper continues. More than 700 soldiers, mostly from 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division are working alongside units from the 1-12th Combined Arms Battalion and 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.
During the last 48 hours, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment seized a large weapons cache containing more than 20 60mm mortars, four rocket propelled grenades and launcher materials. The 1-12 CAB units have located and destroyed two al-Qaeda in Iraq field hospitals, a torture room, a headquarters facility, and multiple IED’s.
Since the beginning of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, 60 al-Qaida operatives have been confirmed killed and 224 have been detained. Coalition and Iraqi forces have also eliminated 133 improvised explosive devices and destroyed 24 booby-trapped structures.
Six terrorists killed after endangering women and children, engaging Coalition Forces
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces called in an air strike against a group of armed terrorists during a raid in Diyala province Saturday, killing at least six of the armed men.
Coalition Forces conducted an operation south of Baqubah targeting a weapons dealer linked to the foreign terrorist network in Samarra. When they reached the target location, they called out to the occupants of the building and were immediately engaged with small arms fire that escalated to include heavy machine gun fire.
During the engagement, armed terrorists gathered on the roof of one building and brought several women and children to their fighting positions as human shields. Coalition Forces took extensive precautions to preserve the safety of the women and children. When the terrorists finally released the civilians, Coalition Forces escorted them to a safe area away from the fighting.
Ground forces continued to take heavy fire. Reacting appropriately in self-defense against the enemy force, Coalition Forces called in close air support to eliminate the hostile threat. The air strike is believed to have killed at least six armed men at the target location, but Coalition Forces continued to take enemy fire as they left the area.
Al-Qaeda cell leader, 17 suspected bombers captured
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 18 suspected terrorists during operations in central and northern Iraq Saturday targeting bombing networks and terrorist cell leaders.
One suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader surrendered to Coalition Forces during a raid in Mosul. The individual is the alleged security emir of Mosul, operating terrorist cells in the area and maintaining connections to other high-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders.
Coalition Forces captured a suspected vehicle-borne improvised explosive device cell leader southeast of Baghdad. During the raid, the ground forces also detained eight suspected terrorists tied to the bombing cell.
During a raid southwest of the capital city, Coalition Forces captured an alleged IED operative and two individuals suspected of emplacing IEDs for him.
A Coalition Forces raid northwest of Baghdad netted five suspected terrorists who are allegedly tied to a chlorine VBIED facilitator in Anbar province.
Paratroopers capture IED cell leader
KALSU, Iraq — The ring leader of a cell responsible for conducting improvised explosive device attacks on the people and security forces of North Babil was captured by paratroopers south of Mahmudiyah, July 11.
The Paratroopers of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 509th Airborne, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division conducted a raid named Operation Leyte Gulf and captured the cell leader and four of his lieutenants.
“Capturing high value targets does a couple of things for us. It limits the threat to Coalition Forces,” said 2nd Lt. Jason Franklin, a native of Catoosa, Okla., and platoon leader with Company C. “It’s also a great morale booster for the guys. … We’re fighting a war where we fight a faceless enemy, so it’s good when you have a recognizable target and take him down.”
The paratroopers also confiscated an AK47 automatic rifle with five magazines of ammunition, four hunting knives, and a set of binoculars.
Troops uncover cache, capture 13 suspects
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq — Multi-National Division – Baghdad uncovered a weapons cache and captured 13 suspected insurgents during raids in eastern Baghdad July 13.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, based out of Fort Riley, Kan., detained five suspects and recovered two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, three grenades and one improvised explosive device in an operation in the New Baghdad District of the Iraqi capital.
In a separate raid, Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery, a Fort Carson, Colo.-based unit detained eight suspected insurgents in the Zafarniya District. They also recovered circuit boards, wires, timers, soldering tools and nine million Iraqi dinar during the raid.
