Good News From The War On Terror 10/10
Iraqi Army captures four suspected insurgents
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Soldiers with the 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division captured four suspected insurgents during a patrol in the New Baghdad District of the Iraqi capital Oct. 8.
Iraqi Soldiers observed the four suspects in a car acting suspiciously, leading to a search of the vehicle. The search led to the recovery of a rifle and three videos of attacks on Coalition Forces.
All four suspects are being held for further questioning.
Operation nets 10, destroys two booby-trapped houses
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Two booby-trapped houses were destroyed and 10 suspected insurgents were detained during an operation in Adwaniyah Oct. 9.
Soldiers of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, were conducting operations targeting an insurgent cell responsible for emplacing improvised explosive devices.
During the operation, Soldiers found two empty houses that were wired with explosives. They vacated the area clearing it of civilians and requested air and artillery support.
Once the area was cleared, the homes were destroyed with two Hellfire missiles fired from attack helicopters and two 155mm Excalibur artillery rounds from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment.
Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda operations in the Diyala River Valley
BAGHDAD, Iraq– Coalition Forces killed an estimated 37 terrorists, detained 25 suspects and found several weapons caches during an operation Oct. 4-7 targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq safe havens in the Diyala River Valley.
During the four-day operation, Coalition forces had numerous contacts with enemy personnel. In several of these engagements, the actions resulted from terrorists firing on ground forces, enemy personnel conducting surveillance activities on Coalition force positions, individuals attempting to unearth weapons caches, and individuals setting up mortar firing devices.
On Friday and Saturday, the ground force discovered two separate weapons caches which were safely destroyed at their locations. The caches included numerous weapons, ammunition, sniper-rifle parts, grenades, mines, blasting caps, mortar systems, anti-tank weapons, rocket propelled grenade launchers and improvised explosive device-making materials.
While patrolling the area Sunday, Coalition forces discovered an IED with a command wire coming from a mosque. Civilians in the vicinity reported that the mosque was frequently used by al-Qaeda in Iraq for meetings. Due to the threat, the ground force needed to enter the mosque to secure the area. They removed the IED from the mosque and it was safely destroyed.
Also on Sunday, supporting aircraft destroyed a river crossing site to prevent further use by al-Qaeda in Iraq. Surveillance elements indicated that the crossing site had been constructed by al-Qaeda in Iraq to transport terrorists, equipment and weapons across the Diyala River to conduct attacks.
During the multiple-day operation, additional air strikes destroyed five al-Qaeda in Iraq safe houses. One of the buildings was identified as a location used to command and control enemy reconnaissance on Coalition forces’ locations. Nearby, supporting aircraft destroyed a dump truck reportedly used to transport enemy weapons.
Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detained 11 suspected terrorists, kill one
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained 11 suspected terrorists and killed one during three separate operations in Sinjar and Baghdad Oct. 8.
During one operation, Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi Army Soldiers detained 6 suspected insurgents while targeting terrorists in a village near Bi’aj, who are believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda in Iraq network in Sinjar.
The targeted village, Marzoog Halaltair, is suspected of housing al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives who are responsible for weapons dealing, making vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and facilitating terrorists’ travel throughout small insurgent villages located in western Ninewa Province.
Two weapons caches, consisting of 1000 14.3mm anti-aircraft rounds, an antiaircraft gun tripod, 10 anti-tank mines, 1,000 feet of electrical wire, 2,000 feet of copper wire, 11 blasting caps, 10 feet of detonation cord, a three-gallon bag of magnesium turnings, five 60mm artillery rounds, one 120mm artillery round, 10 boxes of PKC ammunition, five pounds of home-made explosives, one 30-liter oxygen bottle, one Mauser pistol, one PKC, eight rocket-propelled grenade propellants, and a suicide vest were destroyed in a controlled detonation.
In Baghdad, Iraqi Army Scouts detained five suspected insurgents in the Askan neighborhood. The terrorist group, which has been using a local school as a safe haven, allegedly facilitates weapons trafficking, murders innocent civilians residing in the local area and attacks Iraqi and Coalition Forces using mortars, rockets and IEDs.
In a separate Baghdad raid, Iraqi Special Operations Forces targeted a terrorist cell that is responsible for conducting IED attacks and kidnappings against the Iraqi Police and the IA.
During the operation, one of the terrorists struggled and assaulted a Soldier as he was being detained. Responding to the threat, the forces engaged the terrorist, killing him. One sniper scope with an amplifier adapter, three cell phones and a pistol belt were seized during the operation.
No Iraqi or U.S. Forces were injured during these operations.
Large ammunition cache recovered in Zabul Province
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces, along with Coalition forces, discovered and confiscated a major ammunition cache in the Qalat District, Zabul Province, Oct. 8.
The ANSF-led force executed this operation after receiving credible intelligence of a weapon cache located in a compound just outside of the city limits. The ANSF moved to the suspected area where they found and recovered the ammunition cache.
The cache, consisting of 100 rocket propelled grenade rounds, 6,400 PKM rounds and over 150,000 AK-47 rounds, was hidden in a compound in the surrounding area of Jarollah village. According to the ANSF, the ammunition was in brand new condition.
