Good News From The War On Terror 10/4
Iraqi Army seizes weapons, IED materials
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army reconnaissance troops acted on a tip from residents and uncovered a cache of weapons, explosives and ammunition in East Rashid Oct. 1.
Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade 3rd Iraqi Army Division, found the cache inside an East Rashid building, hidden behind two false walls.
The Iraqi troops seized 12 rocket-propelled grenade motors, 18 PG-7s, one Type 69 RPG, three OG-7s, four RKG-3 grenades, one HEAT rifle grenade, 21 high-explosive rifle grenades, eight hand grenades, two 60mm mortar tubes, three RPG launchers, 33 60mm mortar rounds, two 57mm projectiles, one 81mm mortar, two 105mm projectiles, two 105mm HEAT projectiles and two 57mm S5K rockets.
They also found 30 feet of detonation cord, 10 mortar fuses, six electric blasting caps, 19 grenade fuses, seven sticks of PE-4, 15 pounds of homemade explosive, 10 liters of unknown chemicals, seven PKC pipes, seven rocket launchers, one PPSH machine gun, eight medium ammunition packs, one PKC, four AK-47s, one RPK, two 40-pound bags of 7.62mm ammunition, three PKC ammunition belts, four ammunition belt pouches, two flak vests, two Kevlar helmets, and four AK-47 magazines.
The contents of the find included many materials used in the construction of IEDs. The cache was taken to Forward Operating Base Falcon for disposal.
Coalition forces kill one terrorist, detain eight suspects
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained eight suspects Wednesday and Thursday while conducting operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq in the northern and central parts of the country.
During operations in the Diyala River Valley Thursday, Coalition forces received small arms fire from a nearby mosque. Responding to the hostile threat, the ground force returned fire, killing one terrorist. Coalition forces ceased fire and called for the building's occupants to come out. Two armed individuals emerged with their hands up and were detained, and another individual fled the area. At this time, it is assessed that the mosque suffered no damage.
Coalition forces detained four suspected terrorists in Samarra while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq associates. Intelligence reports indicate that the target area is known for being a safe haven for al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders and foreign terrorists.
South of Baghdad, Coalition forces conducted an operation targeting an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be a leader in the city with ties to the car-bombing network. During the operation, the ground force destroyed one building to prevent further use by terrorists. A secondary explosion erupted from the site, indicating explosives were stored inside. One suspect was also detained during the operation.
Coalition forces conducted an operation in Hawija Wednesday, targeting an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be a leader in the media network in the al Tamim province with ties to foreign terrorists operating in the area. One suspect was detained on site.
Iraqi Army Scouts, U.S. Special Forces detain five, kill two
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army Scouts, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained five and killed two suspected al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists during an early morning raid Oct. 3 near Balad.
During the initial moments of the raid, the assault force encountered a suspected terrorist who approached their position with an AK-47 assault rifle; he did not heed verbal warnings and was wounded. The terrorist was evacuated by helicopter to the Combat Support Hospital in Balad where he later died of his wounds.
As the forces held their position during the raid, another suspected terrorist approached with an AK-47 assault rifle prepared to fire; he also ignored verbal warnings and was killed.
The assault force completed the raid detaining five suspected terrorists linked to recent sectarian violence in the Balad area. The terrorist’s recent operations allegedly include the destruction of some bridges that lead into the area to limit freedom of movement of Iraqi and Coalition Forces.
Additionally, the terrorists are linked to a July 27 complex attack that included two vehicle-born improvised explosive devices driven into checkpoints followed by coordinated gun fire after the initial explosions. More recently, they are linked to a VBIED attack on a checkpoint that killed four Iraqi Army soldiers and wounded an additional 10.
Two grenades and 19 sticks of dynamite were found during the raid and were destroyed in place with a controlled detonation.
Iraqi Security Forces kill three al-Qaeda terrorists outside of Tikrit
TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, acting swiftly on tips from local Iraqi sources, killed three known terrorists after conducting a raid in the al-Jazeera desert, 15 miles east of Tikrit, Sept. 30.
Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi policemen from the Emergency Response Unit in Tikrit, killed the three known al-Qaeda terrorists and captured four more.
The operation started after a tip from a local Iraqi identified a small village in the al-Jazeera desert as an al-Qaeda training camp. ISF conducted a unilateral operation under the provincial police chief’s command, and were able to capture 10 explosive belts, 10 artillery rounds, and various other communication devices.
Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain al-Qaeda financier, one other
BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained two individuals believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda in Iraq criminal network Oct. 2, near Baghdad.
During one of the operations, Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division detained a suspected al-Qaeda financier in Kindi. The extremist financier is suspected of traveling to foreign countries to acquire financial support for terrorist activities and is suspected of supplying more than $50,000 to al-Qaeda each month. He is believed to have received $100,000,000 this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the Iraq border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt.
The terrorist is linked to financing cells in Doura, Tarmiyah and Baqubah, and uses a leather merchant business as a front to smuggle weapons and explosives from surrounding countries. Intelligence shows he has stores in Fallujah, Syria and Jordan.
He allegedly employs 40 to 50 extremists who help deliver and emplace improvised explosive devices to attack Iraqi and Coalition Forces. The group allegedly pays cell members $3,000 for each operation.
The financier is additionally linked to purchasing explosives and weapons that were used to destroy the dome of the sacred “Golden Mosque” in 2006 and then re-attacking it in 2007. In April, the suspected terrorist allegedly shot at a Coalition patrol in Al-Mansour, killing three U.S. service members and wounding one.
During a separate operation, Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained a suspected al-Qaeda platoon leader Oct. 2 in Radwaniyah.
The extremist commands 15 men to attack Iraqi and Coalition Forces with IEDs and direct firefights. In April, the leader and his group emplaced and detonated an IED along the main highway in Radwaniyah, injuring several Iraqi Army Soldiers and destroying a tactical vehicle. In May, the group attacked an Iraqi Army traffic control point and killed several Soldiers during the firefight.
