Good News From The War On Terror 8/20
Residents capture, turn over 11 suspected terrorists
BAGHDAD — Acting on a tip, Multi-National Division-Baghdad troops took into custody 11 alleged insurgents being held by a neighborhood watch in the Mechaniks area of the Rashid District Aug. 19.
Soldiers from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 4thh Cavalry Regiment “Raiders,” 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, received a tip that the suspected Al Qaeda members were being held for allegedly terrorizing local residents.
“Tomahawks,” from 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, attached the 4th IBCT, investigated the site before the Raiders came and took the suspects into custody.
Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces have been encouraging neighborhoods to form watch programs to help provide a safe, secure area to help spur economic and infrastructure growth.
All detainees were transferred to a Coalition detention facility for further questioning.
BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division-Baghdad troops uncovered a weapons cache during a combat patrol in a southern neighborhood of the Iraqi capital
Aug. 17.Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, discovered numerous caches just before midnight in Baghdad’s East Rashid District.
The caches consisted of eight 57mm mortars, one 155mm round, one rocket-propelled grenade warhead, 25 pounds of homemade explosives and 10 blasting caps.
An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions at the site.
Three terrorists killed, 28 detained in operations against facilitators
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed three terrorists and detained 28 suspects during operations around the country Sunday and Monday to put pressure on terrorists facilitating the movement of al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders.
Coalition Forces captured an alleged member of the Baghdad car bombing network and one of his associates during a precision raid Monday morning in the city. The targeted individual is also believed to be tied to a suspected terrorist detained during an operation Aug. 16 in Baghdad.
Coalition Forces also conducted two operations targeting associates of a Syrian-based terrorist facilitator responsible for bringing hundreds of terrorists into Iraq. In Baghdad Sunday, local Iraqis reported terrorists were occupying several nearby buildings. Coalition Forces secured the buildings and found rockets, pressure plates and bomb-making materials. The ground forces detained 13 suspected terrorists for their association with the terrorist facilitation network and a local al-Qaeda in Iraq media producer.
On a related mission Monday, a separate assault force closed in north of Hawija while surveillance teams observed several men moving into tactical positions against the assault force. Coalition Forces responded to defend against the hostile threat by engaging the men, killing three. Coalition Forces detained one suspected terrorist on the scene for his alleged ties to a local al-Qaeda in Iraq leader who works with the Syrian-based facilitator.
In Kirkuk Monday, Iraqi and Coalition Forces conducted a raid based on intelligence gained from an operation Jun. 19 in the same area. The ground forces detained one suspected terrorist for his alleged ties to a weapons transporter for Kirkuk-based al-Qaeda in Iraq cells.
Coalition Forces in Mosul continued to target foreign terrorist facilitators associated with al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders during two operations Monday. Based on information from an operation Aug. 13, ground forces conducted a raid in the city and detained one suspected terrorist. A woman received minor injuries when the assault force breached a door. Coalition Forces medical personnel treated the woman on site and turned her over to local Iraqi emergency teams for transport to a local hospital. A nearby raid netted four suspected terrorists.
Local Iraqis south of Bayji alerted ground forces to several suspected terrorists tied to the individual targeted in a Coalition Forces operation there Monday. The ground forces captured the targeted individual and detained five more suspects believed to work for a local leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Coalition Forces also found a cache of weapons and military-style assault vests with the suspects.
Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces Battle Insurgents, Kill 8 Terrorists
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained 17 rogue Jaysh al-Mahdi militia members during two intelligence driven operations Aug. 19 in the Baghdad area.
During the first operation, Iraqi Special Forces detained 6 members of the splinter JAM militia cell in southwestern Baghdad. As the forces proceeded to the target location, enemy forces engaged them with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. Iraqi forces returned with proportional fire, killing eight insurgents. No civilians were injured during the operation.
The suspected terrorist cell primarily conducts extra-judicial killings in southwestern Baghdad.
Additionally, some of the members are alleged to emplace and detonate improvised explosive devices.
In the second operation, the 6th Iraqi Army Scout Platoon detained 11 members of a rogue JAM cell in northwestern Baghdad. This separate terrorist cell is notorious for attacks against Coalition Forces using improvised explosive devices and is believed to conduct extra-judicial killings in the Atafiya area.
Forces confiscated six AK-47s with five loaded magazines, one pistol with three loaded magazines, four computers, two radios, multiple cell phones and other documents.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces captured a weapons smuggler and Special Groups extremist leader before dawn Monday near Qasirin, north of Baghdad.
Coalition Forces conducted a raid targeting this known weapons distributor and Special Groups leader. The captured weapons facilitator was responsible for the storage and distribution of Iranian weapons. Coalition Forces intelligence suggests the weapons facilitator has traveled to and from Iran numerous times and is responsible for smuggling and distributing deadly explosively formed penetrators (EFPs). The target was also responsible for the distribution of those weapons to Special Groups operating throughout the Baghdad area and was connected to a very large network of weapons facilitators and Special Groups associates. The weapons smuggler is believed to have had ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force.
While on the objective, armed gunmen, suspected to be extremist militants, began gathering and maneuvering against Coalition Forces. Coalition Forces were fired upon from multiple directions with sustained small arms fire. Coalition Forces returned fire, killing eight gunmen.
Two others detained during the raid are also suspected of distributing weapons smuggled into Iraq from Iran. One of the buildings searched during the raid produced several AK-47s, ammunition, grenades, a large sum of currency, identification cards and questionable documents, which were all confiscated for analysis and evaluation.
MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq — Iraqi concerned citizens led Coalition Forces to four caches located in the southern belts around Baghdad Aug. 19.
Troops of Company B, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, were alerted Aug. 19 there were two caches near a highway in the Mahmudiyah area.
The call came after a contractor hired to clean out canals in the North Hargawi area found two caches along the Mulla Fayyad Highway that contained a DShKa heavy machine-gun barrel, receiver, mount, seat and tripod, 133 green flares and 54 red flares.
A local citizen took Soldiers of Co. D, 4-31st Inf. Regt. to another cache, north of al-Taqa. It contained eight 57mm and nine 150mm canisters and two 50-pound bags of homemade explosives.
Northwest, at Patrol Base Warrior Keep, near Sadr al-Yusufiyah, a concerned citizen brought a cache containing a 155mm round, 10 pounds of homemade explosive, and a pressure-bar trigger for an improvised explosive device to troops of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd BCT.
An explosive ordnance team destroyed all contents of the caches during a controlled detonation.
MND-B Apache crews destroy anti-aircraft weapon
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Multi-National Division-Baghdad attack helicopter crews destroyed a possible antiaircraft weapon and enemy vehicle at about 3 p.m. Aug. 19 in southern Baghdad.
Apache crews from the 4th “Guns” Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, spotted a sport utility vehicle with something protruding from the back that appeared to be an antiaircraft weapon system covered by a tarp.
The Apache crews were cleared to engage the vehicle by the ground unit, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. The crews engaged the vehicle, destroying it and the possible weapon system.
The ground unit was unable to get to the site of the engagement to confirm the presence of an antiaircraft weapon system.
