Good News From The War On Terror 8/18
Two terrorists killed, 16 detained in operations against al-Qaeda in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed two terrorists and detained 16 suspected terrorists during operations in central and northern Iraq Saturday targeting senior leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq and its bombing networks.
Coalition Forces raided two buildings in Baghdad looking for a senior leader of the car bombing network there. As the ground forces arrived at the target location, a man came out of the building brandishing a weapon. Coalition Forces, responding appropriately to the hostile threat, engaged the man, killing him. Another armed man maneuvered onto the roof of a nearby building, and Coalition Forces engaged the second armed man as well, killing him.
In a related operation, Coalition Forces attacked the car bombing network during a raid in Tarmiyah targeting associates of the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of the northern belts around Baghdad. The emir has directed car bombing and suicide attacks against Iraqi civilians. Coalition Forces detained six suspected terrorists for their alleged involvement with the network.
In Salah ad Din province, Coalition Forces targeted al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders and their foreign connections. During a raid in Bayji, ground forces captured an alleged weapons and logistics facilitator and one additional suspected terrorist. A precision raid in Tikrit nabbed an individual believed to be a senior al-Qaeda in Iraq operative believed to move large amounts of explosives and foreign terrorists into Iraq.
Iraqi and Coalition Forces detained five suspected terrorists southwest of Kirkuk based on information gained from an operation that killed three foreign terrorists Jun. 23 south of Hawija. The detainees are believed to be associated with senior-level advisers and leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
In Mosul, Coalition Forces detained two suspected terrorists based on information gathered from operations earlier in the week. The two suspects are believed to have ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders.
Task Force Dragon uncovers caches
BAGHDAD — Multi National Division-Baghdad troops uncovered two large weapons caches in a southern portion of the Iraqi capital Aug. 16-17.
Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th “Dragon” Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, discovered the weapons cache while conducting a cordon and search operation in West Rashid Aug. 17.
An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to destroy the cache consisting of eight 120mm mortars, seven 130mm to 150mm projectiles wired together as improvised explosive devices, six 60mm mortar rounds and 10 rocket launcher platforms.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 16, “Black Lions” from Company B, 1st Bn., 28th Inf. Regt., found another cache that included a 155mm round rigged as an improvised explosive device, 57 155mm rounds, 20 anti-tank mines, six pressure-plate IEDs, 1,000 pounds of homemade explosives and a DVD containing information for making a car bomb.
Local tip leads 3-1 Cavalry to weapons cache
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers of Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment seized a weapons cache Aug. 14, north of Nahrwan.
Troop B moved to the site where the cache was said to be located and found seven AK-47 assault rifles, 17 AK-47 magazines, one bolt-action rifle, two scopes (one with infrared capability), one periscope, five cell phones, two radios, one outer tactical vest, one pair of binoculars and one hand grenade.
In addition to the cache, the Soldiers detained four individuals.According to 3-1 Cavalry officials, the cache find came days after the capture of key Jaysh al-Mahdi leaders and other suspected insurgents.
Bomb production facility destroyed
BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered an improvised explosive device production facility in an abandoned building in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Khadra Aug. 16.
Iraqi Police officers from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, 2nd National Police Division and Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, were led to the production site by an anonymous tip from a Khadra resident.
The search uncovered a kitchen area being used to produce homemade explosive material. Nine PVC pipes, three of which were ready-made pipe bombs, were discovered. Twenty pounds of half-inch ball bearings, 15 gallons of nitric acid, three high-powered rifles and various spools of cellophane and wire were also found.
An explosive ordnance disposal team detonated the cache on site, destroying the facility.
Tip leads to largest cache uncovered in western Baghdad neighborhood
BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division – Soldiers uncovered the largest weapons cache found to date in the Ameriya neighborhood Aug. 14.
Acting on a tip called in by a resident, Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a search in the western Baghdad neighborhood, uncovering the cache in a woodworking shop. The Soldiers uncovered the cache, after finding a fake floor board in the shop.
The cache contained 265 mortar rounds of various sizes, 47 rockets of various sizes, 22 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, more than 50 land mines, 300 pounds of homemade explosive, more than 150 pounds of other explosive material and more than 70,000 rounds of small arms ammunition.
An explosive ordnance team was called in to evaluate the cache. EOD blew the ordnance and weapons on site.
Weapons cache found in Adhamiyah
BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division – Baghdad troops uncovered a weapons cache in an eastern neighborhood of the Iraqi capital Aug. 15.
Military operations in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah District by Soldiers from the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment led to the cache. The Soldiers found the cache after searching an abandoned house.
The cache included five AK-47s, 10 magazines, dynamite, hand grenades, an 82mm mortar system with 38 rounds, improvised explosive device components, 17 rockets, a roll of detonation cord, 13 shotgun shells and one machine gun.
