Good News From The War On Terror 9/17
7 terrorists killed, 31 suspects detained in Coalition operations
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed 7 terrorists and detained 31 suspected terrorists during operations in central and northern Iraq Monday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operational networks.
Coalition forces continued operations to secure Baghdad and the surrounding belts during two operations targeting terrorist networks in and around the city. West of Yusufiyah, Coalition forces raided a group of buildings while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who organize foreign terrorists to conduct suicide attacks. When the assault force approached the target building, two men in the yard drew weapons. Coalition forces, responding in self-defense, engaged the two armed men, killing them. A number of men from inside the buildings were maneuvering into tactical positions in the surrounding area, indicating they had advance warning of the raid. When the assault force followed the men, they encountered four individuals acting as lookouts and passing information to other enemy elements. Coalition forces defended against the hostile threat by calling for close air support, engaging and killing the four terrorists. The assault force engaged and killed another man who refused to comply with Coalition forces’ instructions to surrender. The ground forces detained 19 suspected terrorists during the raid.
North of Taji, Coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists while targeting members of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the Rusafa neighborhood of Baghdad.
Farther north in the Tigris River Valley, Coalition forces conducted two raids targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists. Near Balad, the ground forces detained two individuals allegedly tied to an al-Qaeda in Iraq group responsible for moving terrorists in and out of Iraq, as well as sniper and bombing attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces. In Bayji, Coalition forces used information from an operation Sep. 7 to conduct a raid that netted four suspects believed to move weapons, supplies and foreign terrorists for al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Coalition forces near the Syrian border used information from an operation Sep. 11 to target a foreign terrorist facilitator there and detained four suspected terrorists.
Iraqi boy leads troops to weapons cache
BAGHDAD — A Multi-National Division-Baghdad unit discovered a cache of explosives and improvised explosive device-making materials in a western neighborhood of the Iraqi capital following a tip from a local boy Sept. 15.
A platoon from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment (Task Force Patriot), was conducting a census operation in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk when an 11-year-old Iraqi boy pointed out an abandoned house and suggested that insurgents had used it as a base of operations in previous months.
The Soldiers discovered two cache sites within the house after a detailed search. The contents of the two caches included four RPG-7 rockets, nine 57mm rockets, two 82mm mortars, one 130mm artillery round, one 122mm artillery round, one block of TNT, a foot of detonation cord, 52 AK-47 magazines and an assortment of IED-detonating devices.
An explosive ordnance disposal team responded to the scene and removed the explosives for detonation later in a controlled environment.
Soldiers, aviators engage insurgents in Salman Pak
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq — Coalition Forces captured and killed several insurgents in the Salman Pak area during a pair of missions Sept. 12 and 13.
On Sept. 12, Company A and the scout platoon from 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, conducted a night air assault near Salman Pak.
Soldiers assaulted north of Salman Pak via UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to surprise known insurgents in the 1-15 Inf. Regt. area of operations.
After the air insertion, scouts detained two suspected insurgents as Company A secured its target area, detaining another insurgent and finding two AK-47 assault rifles and one shotgun. In all, three insurgents were detained and six buildings were cleared during the operation.
A day later, on Sept. 13, Soldiers responded to reports of small-arms fire directed against the Joint Security Station in Salman Pak. Soldiers from 1-15 Inf. Regt. coordinated with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to engage insurgents.
The helicopters opened fire on three insurgents after they were detected near a building on the outskirts of the town. Two were killed during the exchange. The third insurgent, wounded in the attack, moved into the building after meeting with four other armed men.
The helicopters fired at the building after insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at them, killing two more and wounding another. Company A, 1-15th Inf. Regt. The remaining two men escaped. Soldiers moved to the site and evacuated the wounded man.
The 1-15 Inf. Regt. is assigned to 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.
Coalition forces capture 12 suspected terrorists in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured an Iraqi terrorist with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Forces (IRGC-QF) and eleven other suspected terrorists during coordinated early morning operations in Baghdad Monday.
The operations targeted a senior Special Groups leader directly linked, according to sensitive intelligence, to several other high-ranking terrorists operating in and around Baghdad.
Those in custody are believed to be involved in smuggling and storing weapons from Iran used to attack Iraqi civilians and the security forces that protect them. Intelligence further indicates that the group is linked to the production and distribution of deadly Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) and the supporting of foreign terrorist operations.
Coalition forces detained six individuals at the first target area without incident, and followed on with operations at two other sites where they captured the other individuals.
A vehicle approached the security perimeter of the ground force during the operation. The vehicle, which was out after curfew, was warned with lights and warning shots before Coalition forces engaged the hostile threat with machine gun fire and destroyed it. The ground forces assess the driver was killed.
ANSF destroy IED factory and weapons cache in Kabul province
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Elements of the 201st Afghan National Army Corps and Afghan National Police, assisted by Coalition Forces, found and destroyed an IED factory and weapons cache during a two day bilateral operation in the Sorobi District, Kabul province, ending the morning of Sep. 17.
The ANSF planned and executed this mission after receiving credible information. As the combined force entered the village, they were immediately attacked with small arms fire by an unknown number of insurgents. The ANSF returned fire and Coalition close air support was employed to neutralize the positively identified Taliban fighting positions within several compounds. Coalition aircraft utilized precision guided munitions and destroyed three insurgent fighting positions.
The ANSF-led force remained in the village over night and discovered an IED manufacturing area and separate weapons cache hidden inside a compound in the village. The cache contained numerous rockets, mortars and about 50 feet of detonation cord. Both the IED factory and weapons cache were destroyed by the combined force prior to their leaving the village.
One insurgent was killed and one non-combatant 40-year-old male was injured during the engagement. The injured male was shot in the knee with small arms fire by the Taliban. Coalition forces provided immediate medical treatment to the injured man and he was later evacuated to a local hospital by ANP. No ANSF or Coalition forces were injured or killed.
A shura was conducted between the ANSF leaders and the village elders prior to the combined force leaving.
Sept. 16 airpower summary: Tankers fuel the fleet
