Good News From The War On Terror 8/30
Wounded Paratrooper receives Purple Heart and re-enlists
TIKRIT, Iraq – An 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper re-enlisted for four additional years of service from his hospital bed Aug 28, 2007, at Contingency Operations Base Speicher, Iraq, one day after a rocket-propelled grenade blast left him with two broken legs and shrapnel wounds to his back.
Spc. Clayton Allison, a fire support specialist, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and native of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc., was injured when an RPG hit a bongo truck several meters from his patrol in Samarra.
Col. Bryan R. Owens, commander for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, re-enlisted Allison and presented him with the Purple Heart hours before he was transported to Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center in Germany for further recovery treatment.
MND-B Apache crews destroy enemy transport truck
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Multi-National Division-Baghdad attack helicopter crews destroyed an insurgent vehicle in south Baghdad at approximately 2 p.m. Aug. 29.
The Apache crews from the 4th “Guns” Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, responded to a call from 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, to engage the vehicle.
The Apache crews observed several men around the vehicle flee when the aircrews arrived. The aircrews were cleared to fire by the ground unit and engaged the vehicle, destroying it.
Coalition targets al-Qaeda leadership; 7 suspected terrorists detained
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces captured two key suspects and five alleged associates during operations Thursday targeting senior leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq along the Tigris River.
Coalition Forces detained a suspected senior terrorist facilitator and one other individual during two coordinated raids near Samarra. The alleged facilitator also accompanied Coalition Forces to a prayer room next door to search for additional targeted terrorists. The ground forces took great care while searching the area and departed without disturbing the prayer room.
In the second raid, intelligence reports indicated a senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was hiding in a nearby mosque, which was still under construction. Coalition Forces entered the mosque without using force and took great care in securing the building. One individual in an adjacent building was detained for his suspected association with the targeted al-Qaeda in Iraq leader.
Farther north, Coalition Forces captured an individual believed to be a former terrorist emir from the Baghdad area allegedly working with senior leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq to strengthen terrorist control in Bayji. The ground forces detained four additional suspects for their alleged involvement in Bayji’s al-Qaeda in Iraq network.
Two terrorists killed, 29 suspects detained; Coalition disrupts al-Qaeda ops
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed two terrorists, including a terrorist leader, and captured two other suspected terrorist leaders during raids Thursday targeting the al-Qaeda in Iraq operations network.
During an operation south of Tarmiyah, Coalition Forces killed the military emir of Tarmiyah, who was responsible for directing attacks against Coalition Forces and Iraqi civilians in the area. When the ground forces moved toward the target building, they observed an armed man in a neighboring house maneuvering into position to engage the assault force. Responding in defense against the hostile threat, Coalition Forces engaged the man, killing him. Another armed man moved to the roof of the target building, where Coalition Forces responded to the hostile threat by engaging and killing him. The terrorist on the roof was determined to be the terrorist emir targeted in the operation. The ground forces detained 11 individuals with suspected ties to the al-Qaeda in Iraq network.
Operations in Baqubah and Mosul targeted al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders to disrupt their attack networks. Coalition Forces captured an individual in Baqubah who is believed to conduct operations to incite sectarian violence, provide weapons to al-Qaeda in Iraq and attack Coalition Forces. The ground forces detained nine additional suspects for their ties to the terrorist network. In Mosul, Coalition Forces captured an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader who recently fled to the northern city and is believed to provide financial support to al-Qaeda in Iraq, facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists and control terrorist operations in an area south of the Baghdad airport. Coalition Forces detained seven of his suspected associates as well.
Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain 16 al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists
BAGHDAD – Members of the Iraqi Security Forces detained five suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists in an intelligence-driven operation Aug. 29 in Muelha.
Reports indicate the suspected terrorist belong to a cell of more than 100 men suspected of attacking Coalition and Iraqi Forces in the village south of Baghdad.Additional intelligence shows the cell members conduct these indirect and direct fire attacks with improvised explosive device, mortar and vehicle-borne explosive attacks.
One of the terrorists is allegedly involved in two specific IED attacks that seriously wounded multiple U.S. Army Soldiers, to include kidnapping and murdering local civilians in Muelha.
In a second operation, Iraqi Army Forces conducted an intelligence driven helicopter assault raid detaining 11 suspected insurgents west of Taji.
Scouts from the 1/7th Iraqi Army Brigade raided a series of targets and detained the primary suspect believed to be an al Qaeda in Iraq member and allegedly involved in supporting a sniper cell operating within the Karmah area.
After detaining six additional suspects, it was discovered that individuals fled from one of the targeted locations into a nearby mosque. U.S. Special Operations Forces provided external security while Iraqi Forces conducted an internal search of the mosque and detained four more suspected insurgents.
During the operation five AK-47 assault rifles, numerous identification cards and a rifle scope were seized.
In addition, five rocket propelled grenades, two high explosive hand grenades, fuses and several containers of homemade explosives were destroyed on sight by a controlled detonation.
Concerned citizen leads Coalition Forces to large cache of nitric acid
NIAM MASHAWN, Iraq — Coalition Forces, acting on a tip from a local concerned citizen, discovered a large cache of nitric acid buried in drums near the town of Niam Mashawn, Aug. 28.
Soldiers of 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., received a tip that there was a large quantity of nitric acid near a checkpoint on Route Tampa, a major Iraqi highway. The cache site is located about 15 kilometers west of Baghdad International Airport.
The man who reported the cache helped the Soldiers dig up 411 plastic jugs.
Nitric acid is often used in making fertilizer and homemade explosives, commonly found in improvised explosive devices.
The containers of acid were collected and removed to a secure location.
ANSF find, destroy second insurgent-run opium lab near Musa Qalah
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces, assisted by Coalition forces, found and destroyed an insurgent-run drug lab after a brief fight with Taliban fighters in Khyajehdad Village, Musa Qalah District, Helmand Province Aug. 29.
The opium lab was the second of its kind found in the past four days in the Musa Qalah area. A large, insurgent run heroin lab was also discovered less than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) away Aug. 26. The lab found yesterday is located in a compound initially defended by insurgents before being routed by ANSF.
The ANSF and Coalition forces have been conducting combat patrols in the region for the past week.
11 Insurgents killed in direct attack on Firebase Anaconda
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Elements of the 1st Brigade, 205th Afghan National Army Corps, along with Coalition forces, repelled a direct attack on Firebase Anaconda, Oruzgan Province, today.
Insurgents attacked the base from multiple directions with 72mm rockets, small-arms and heavy machine gun fire. Coalition close air support conducted precision air strikes successfully destroying the enemy fighters.
This was the fourth attack on Firebase Anaconda this month. An estimated 74 insurgents were killed in the previous attacks on the firebase.
The recent probing attacks have reinforced credible intelligence gathered by Coalition forces of a planned, large-scale attack on Firebase Anaconda.
More than a dozen insurgents killed in failed Taliban attack near Regay
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces, advised by Coalition forces, defeated an insurgent attack Aug. 30 near Regay Village, on the east side of the Musa Qalah Wadi, Helmand Province.
The combined force was on a combat patrol when an unknown number of insurgents attacked from multiple compounds and trenches using small-arms fire, 82mm mortars and RPGs.
The ANSF repelled the attack with accurate small-arms fire and artillery. When the insurgents reinforced their fighting positions with additional fighters, the ANSF requested Coalition close air support. Coalition aircraft performed precision air strikes on the insurgents, killing a number of fighters and destroying a truck that was being used as reinforcement transport. Several more insurgents were killed by direct fire during the engagement.
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