Good News From The War On Terror 9/9
Six terrorists killed during raids in Tarmiyah
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained 21 suspects Saturday and Sunday during operations in the Tarmiyah area and Tigris River Valley to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq’s senior leadership.
Several synchronized raids in Tarmiyah targeted the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the northern belt around Baghdad, including its leaders. The network is responsible for car bombings, kidnappings, publishing extremist propaganda and operating an illegal court system in the area.
As Coalition forces cleared a building, three men inside reached for weapons in the room. Responding to defend against the threat, Coalition forces engaged the three armed men, killing them.
A related assault force entered a target building and encountered an armed man who attempted to draw his weapon. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged the armed man, killing him.
In another coordinated raid, one female refused to comply with the interpreter’s instructions. After the ground forces made several attempts to get the woman to comply, she lunged to reach behind some furniture. Coalition forces, perceiving a hostile threat to the force, engaged the woman, killing her.
Coalition forces securing a target building nearby found an armed man hiding in a closet. When he was discovered, the armed man fired on the assault force, which returned fire in self-defense and killed the terrorist.
On the scene, the ground forces found a cache of weapons, including 25 mortar rounds, 30 high-explosive rounds, 5,000 anti-aircraft rounds and other ammunition. They also discovered four improvised explosive devices planted in the immediate area. A Coalition forces explosives team safely destroyed the IEDs, weapons and ammunition. Nearby, the ground forces discovered a cache of extremist propaganda and media production materials.
Over the two-day operation, Coalition forces destroyed seven buildings believed to be used for terrorist activities. The ground forces thoroughly cleared and secured each building prior to any detonation to ensure no civilians were inside. One building was destroyed by an air strike, while the other six were destroyed with ground munitions. Coalition forces detained 17 suspected terrorists during the operations in Tarmiyah.
Coalition forces extended their operations to the north while targeting advisers of al-Qaeda in Iraq’s senior leaders who had fled to an area south of Mosul. The ground forces detained two suspected terrorists during the operation there.
Coalition forces in Mosul captured a suspected member of the Kirkuk car-bombing network during a raid. In another raid east of Balad, Coalition forces used information from an operation Aug. 8 to target an al-Qaeda in Iraq operative who facilitates the movement of foreign terrorists. The ground forces detained one suspected terrorist.
Coalition forces kill terrorist responsible for Ninawa bombings
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition forces positively identified a terrorist killed in an operation Sept. 3 southwest of Mosul as one of the terrorists responsible for the August bombings in Ninawa Province resulting in over 700 casualties.
Abu Muhammad al-Afri, also known as Abu Jasim, Arkan Hassan Ali, Nuraddin, Hajar and Abu Ahmad al-Afri, was the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of Sinjar and was one of the terrorists responsible for ordering the Aug. 14 truck bombings, which primarily targeted the Yazidi population.
al-Afri was killed during a kinetic strike in a very remote area 70 miles southwest of Mosul. A fixed-wing aircraft conducted the strike, killing al-Afri and his driver. Close associates and detainees confirmed that al-Afri was killed during the strike.
When Coalition forces arrived to assess the site of the kinetic strike, they found two armed men attempting to sanitize the scene. The ground forces also found several files, a machine gun, military-style assault vests and bomb-making materials. Coalition forces detained both men.
Forces find significant weapons cache
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Early Sept. 8 in Helmand province, Afghan and Coalition forces found large weapons caches in three buildings and smaller caches in other buildings. The caches included rockets, anti-tank rockets, and an improvised explosive device, all of which were destroyed by a Coalition airstrike.
During the course of operations, the combined force also returned small arms fire and employed precision munitions on locations where suspected militants were hiding. Forces estimate more than 30 suspected militants were killed in the engagement.
The combined force suspected the compounds, located in the Garmser district, were providing sanctuary to anti-Coalition militants. Precision munitions were employed to destroy the buildings, which had fortified fighting positions and interlocking tunnels.
Sept. 8 airpower summary: C-130s deliver cargo, warfighters
