Good News From The War On Terror 11/11-12
Soldiers find large cache in Haswa
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Airborne found a large cache during a combat patrol in Haswa, Iraq, Nov. 9.
The Soldiers discovered the cache while setting up a cordon. They found a building containing 22 blocks of C4, one improvised Claymore mine, one propane tank of accelerant and one 125mm mortar round.
Upon finding the cache, located in the vicinity of an area mosque, the Soldiers called in an explosive ordnance disposal team to destroy the cache.
Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda network; 16 suspects detained
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 16 suspects, including three wanted individuals, Sunday during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq and foreign terrorist operations in central and northern Iraq.
During an operation in southern Baghdad, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be involved in the car-bombing network in the Rusafa and Karkh area. Reports indicate the suspect was associated with several of the network’s senior leaders and allegedly tried to re-establish operations after significant degradation by Coalition forces.
Intelligence reports led Coalition forces to a residential house, where the ground force called for the occupants to come out. Two men were detained by Coalition forces, one of whom led Coalition forces to two nearby buildings. The ground force called for the buildings’ occupants to come out and they complied. Coalition forces detained four other suspects, including the wanted individual.
During an operation northeast of the capital city, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be tied to foreign terrorist facilitators and other senior al-Qaeda leaders operating in Salman Pak. Coalition forces entered the target area, called for a building’s occupants to come out and they complied without incident. The suspect identified himself to the ground force and was subsequently detained.
Farther north in Mosul, Coalition forces captured another wanted individual believed to be involved in the city’s terrorist propaganda network. The ground force isolated the target building, called for the building’s occupants to come out, and they complied without incident. During the operation, Coalition forces found significant al-Qaeda propaganda believed to be for distribution as part of the media network. The wanted individual identified himself to the ground force and was subsequently detained.
During three separate operations near Salman Pak, Bayji and Mosul, Coalition forces detained eight suspects while targeting alleged foreign terrorist facilitators, couriers, associates of senior level al-Qaeda members, and planners of improvised explosive device attacks against the Iraqi people.
Iraqi Police, Coalition Forces strike enemy west of Samarra
TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi police conducted a combined operation with Coalition Forces against al Qaeda in Iraq west of Samarra, Nov. 9. In the operation, seven insurgents were killed, four more detained and a weapons cache was secured.
Several media outlets quoted a civilian in Samarra, and an unnamed Iraqi policeman suggesting they had conducted this attack against al Qaeda in Iraq with permission from CF. The unnamed sources further claimed they requested CF not use aviation assets in the area due to concern their group might be accidentally attacked. These claims are false.
Iraqi Security Forces and CF do not coordinate operations with militias, as the Iraqi government does not recognize the authority of any militias. Additionally, ISF and CF only coordinate with CLCs on security of key infrastructure.
We encourage Iraqi citizens interested in their own security to join the CLC movement and continue assisting the ISF by providing tips on criminal and terrorist activities.
BAGHDAD – Baghdad Soldiers seized two suspected extremists and uncovered two caches during ongoing operations in the Rashid District of the Iraqi capital, Nov. 9.
“Warriors” from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., detained two men suspected of terrorist activities and were positively identified by Iraqi Security Volunteers. The suspects are being held for further questioning.
Also that day, “Warriors” of Co. D., 2-12 Inf. found a weapons cache in the Jaza’ir neighborhood. The cache consisted of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a PKC machine gun with two barrels, three RPG rounds and eight RPG boosters, a 60mm mortar tube and two rounds, a bolt-action rifle, an AK-47 with 19 full magazines, four hand grenades, a suicide vest, three sets of body armor, approximately 3,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and 22 ski masks.
A second cache was uncovered by the “Black Lions” of Company C, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, attached to Task Force 1-18, part of the 4th IBCT. Soldiers found eight mortar rounds of various sizes, four RPG rounds, two rocket fuses, five radios and a set of body armor.
Concerned Local Citizens find and remove IEDs, mortars
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Concerned Local Citizens found numerous improvised explosive devices and mortars along a route frequently traveled by Coalition Forces in Adwaniya Nov. 10.
The CLCs came to Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry, Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, reporting the IEDs emplaced along the route.
The IEDs and mortars consisted of five five-gallon jugs of homemade explosives, four antifreeze jugs filled with homemade explosives, three 120mm mortar rounds, three 82mm mortar rounds, one 60mm mortar round and one 105mm artillery round.
The IEDs were destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team in a controlled detonation.
Later the same day, the CLCs reported more weapons and ordnance. Nine fire extinguishers filled with HME, five oxygen tanks filled with HME, two rockets, and five two-liter bottles filled with HME and fitted with pressure plates and blasting caps were found.
The munitions were taken to Paratroopers from Troop A, 1-40th Cav. Regt., at Entry Control Point 20, a small patrol base in Hawr Rajab.
Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda media networks; six killed, 15 detained
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed six terrorists and detained 15 suspects, including two wanted individuals Sunday and Monday during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda propaganda operations in central Iraq.
During an operation southwest of Baqubah Sunday, Coalition forces targeted the alleged media emir of the Diyala province. Coalition forces observed four armed men in the target area, and, perceiving hostile intent, fired warning shots in an attempt to get the men to drop their weapons. When the suspects failed to comply, the ground force engaged the armed men. A vehicle associated with the men caught on fire from the engagement, and Coalition forces observed secondary explosions, indicating bomb-making materials were likely inside. As the ground force secured the area, they assessed four terrorists were killed from the explosions during the operation.
Coalition forces conducted a separate operation targeting a suspected terrorist associated with the four terrorists killed southwest of Baqubah. As the ground force approached the target building, they called for the building’s occupants to come out. One man came out of the building, but ignoring their instructions he continued to move toward them and ignored warning shots. Perceiving hostile intent, Coalition forces engaged and killed the terrorist. As the ground force secured the area, they found two large weapons caches of rockets, mortars and improvised explosive devices, which the ground force safely destroyed to prevent further use by terrorists. The ground force detained two suspects on site.
Coalition forces captured a wanted individual west of Baqubah during operations targeting an associate of al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders, including the suspected Diyala media emir and an associate. Coalition forces secured the target building, finding a media cache, believed to be used for al-Qaeda in Iraq propaganda. The wanted individual was subsequently detained.
In an operation east of Samarra, Coalition forces targeted an al-Qaeda media headquarters and safe house, also believed to be used by foreign terrorists. As Coalition forces secured the target building and entered a room, a man reached for a suicide vest. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged and killed the terrorist before the vest detonated. The ground force detained seven suspects on site.
Coalition forces captured a wanted individual during operations in southern Tikrit targeting foreign terrorist facilitators and associates of al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders. The wanted individual was believed to be an associate helping with the movement of senior terrorist leaders in the Haditha region. Coalition forces detained four suspects in addition to the wanted individual.
Tip leads to 7th cache in 3 weeks for Iraqi Forces
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – During a cordon-and-knock operation Nov. 11, Iraqi National Police officers, along with Soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, joined forces for the seventh time in three weeks to uncover a weapons cache in eastern Baghdad. This time, the cache was discovered inside the grounds of the Imam Al Madhi Husseniyah Mosque.
Officers of the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police Division found the cache during a search of the mosque following a tip from a concerned resident.
While the officers searched, Soldiers with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, based out of Fort Riley, Kan., pulled security outside the mosque.
The cache discovery continued a trend that sees both Iraqi Security Forces playing a key role in disrupting insurgent activity and Iraqi citizens taking the protection of their families into their own hands and working to rid their streets of dangerous caches by providing valuable tips to authorities.
Items found in the weapons cache included: three hand grenades, one five-pound bottle of explosive, one rocket-propelled grenade tube, five rocket propelled grenade propellants, 11 rocket-propelled grenades, six AK-47s, 10 flak vests, 15 plates of body armor, 10 sets of desert camouflage uniforms, one propane tank with propellant, and two sets of police lights.
Five suspected foreign fighter facilitators detained in Zabul Provience
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan and Coalition forces conducted an operation in Ghazni Province Nov. 10 to help prevent the flow of foreign militant extremists into Afghanistan, and they detained five people suspected of being foreign fighter facilitators.
The operation focused on disrupting foreign fighter facilitators reported to be operating in the Shajoy District.
The combined force of Afghan and Coalition members conducted a search of a compound in the district where the foreign fighter facilitators were hiding. During the search, the combined force detained the five individuals who may have links to foreign fighter facilitators reported to be operating in the area.
Several militants, three civilians killed in Helmand Province
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Coalition forces conducted an operation Nov. 11 to detain Improvised Explosive Device and weapons facilitators with links to Taliban extremists in Helmand Province. Approximately 15 militants were killed along with one woman and two children during this operation.
Coalition forces conducted a search of compounds in the Garmser District where intelligence sources indicated the facilitators were hiding. Militants engaged Coalition forces with heavy small-arms fire from several different buildings on one of the compounds. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire, killing several militants.
During one of the engagements, several militants barricaded themselves in a building on the compound and engaged Coalition forces with a high volume of gunfire. Coalition forces used a single grenade which killed the attacking militants; however, the building the militants were fighting from collapsed.
Performing a post-hostilities search of the area, Coalition forces found a woman and two children in the collapsed building who were dead along with several militants and their weapons.
Coalition forces also found a wounded woman in the immediate area. She and her escort were transported to a medical facility for treatment. The injury to the woman was non-life threatening.
Continuing their search of the compounds, Coalition forces found and detained two suspected militants, who intelligence indicated as having possible connections to IED and Taliban linked weapons facilitators. The detained individuals will be questioned as to their involvement with facilitation operations as well as other extremist activities.
Coalition forces also recovered several weapons and associated ammunition from the deceased militants that were destroyed on-site to prevent further use by extremist forces.
Nov. 10 airpower summary: C-130s sustain operations
