Good News From The War On Terror 9/18
FALLUJAH – Iraqi Army Scouts, with U.S. Special Operations Forces as advisers, conducted a series of helicopter assault raids near Taji Sept. 16, resulting in the detention of a senior Al Qaeda in Iraq member of the Abu Ghazwan network.
He is suspected of conducting attacks that target local citizens in the Tarmiyah area who join the Iraqi Police or Iraqi Army forces. His cell has attacked the Tarmiyah Regiment of the 9th Iraqi Army division, the 9th Oil Protection Division, guards at the Al Karkh water treatment plant and Coalition Forces in the Taji area. The cell is also suspected of distributing propaganda and installing illegal check points.
This terrorist is additionally suspected of being the second in command to Abu Ghazwan’s network and the gatekeeper for access to Abu Ghazwan himself. This criminal network is known to commit robberies, kidnappings, murder, and is responsible for the Sept. 6, 2006 attack against a British Contractor convoy near Tarmiyah.
This terrorist network is believed to be linked to the kidnappings of employees from the Nasr Industrial Plant and is known to stage attacks from a local mosque. The cell provides salaries and materials for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices to be used in the Baghdad area. The cell is further suspected of storing and supplying weapons such as surface-to-air missiles, mortar rounds, mortar launchers, and heavy machine guns to be used in future terrorist attacks.
Iraqi soldiers raided a series of residences in a remote area northwest of Taji, detaining the alleged terrorist, two snipers, and 15 additional suspects. Three AK-47 assault rifles, three tactical assault vests and various explosive components were seized during the operation.
Three terrorists killed, 13 al-Qaeda suspects detained in Tigris River Valley
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 13 suspected terrorists during several operations Tuesday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives and mid-level leaders in the Tigris River Valley.
Three operations around Baghdad were aimed at improving security in the city and surrounding area. In an operation in Arab Jabour, Coalition forces targeted a key operative in the al-Qaeda in Iraq network. When the assault force arrived at the target building, armed men attempted to maneuver into position against them. Coalition forces responded to the hostile threat by calling for close air support, and two terrorists were killed by fire from the aircraft. Another man refused to comply with the ground forces’ instructions to surrender. Responding to the hostile threat, Coalition forces engaged the man, killing him. Six suspected terrorists were detained in the raid.
During two coordinated operations in the capital city, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be a key operative for al-Qaeda in Iraq and its international network. Intelligence reports also indicate the man works for the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of the southern belts around Baghdad. The ground forces detained two additional suspected terrorists during the raids.
In Bayji, Coalition forces used information from an operation Aug. 4 to capture a suspected mid-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leader and two other suspects. About 50 miles farther north, ground forces detained one suspected terrorist believed to help smuggle weapons for al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Coalition forces capture wanted terrorist in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured a suspected Iraqi terrorist linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - Quds Force network and two others during an operation early Tuesday in Baghdad.
The operations were targeting a Special Groups criminal that is believed to be a leader of an improvised explosive device network and is also believed to have close ties to the production and distribution of explosively formed penetrators (EFPs).
Reports indicate the targeted individual has been involved in the procurement of weapons and the facilitation of foreign terrorists in order to target Iraqi and Coalition security forces.
Information from concerned citizens in the neighborhood led the assault force to a local facility, where the suspected Special Groups officer was also working as a security guard. The forces apprehended the man there without incident after close coordination with Iraqi police.
Cache found, several suspected militants killed in Ghazni
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Several suspected militants were killed and four were detained during an operation conducted by Afghan and Coalition forces today in Ghazni province.
The forces suspected the compounds, located in the Gairo district, were providing sanctuary to anti-coalition militants. Several confirmed enemy fighters posed a threat to the forces during the course of operations and were shot and killed.
Additionally, AK-47s, hand grenades and rocket propelled grenades were found during a search of the site. Precision munitions were employed to destroy a building and the weapons inside it. Prior to the strike, the combined force escorted women and children from the targeted area to a safe distance. They were permitted to return after the strike was complete. There were no indications of injuries or deaths to non-combatants.
Sept. 17 airpower summary: Maintainers keep them flying
