Good News From The War On Terror 12/22
Iraqi Police uncover major weapons cache
KIRKUK, Iraq – Iraqi Police uncovered a major weapons cache in the Kirkuk province of Iraq Dec. 18. The discovery was made during a series of pre-dawn raids at suspected cache sites.
Iraqi Police led the operation in the town of Ruwadah, approximately 25 miles west of Kirkuk City. The operation was named “Kura Azakan” (The Brave Men) by General Sarhadt, outer Hawijah district police chief, because Coalition Forces and Iraqi Police had not been in the area recently and because the Iraqi Police had gone in without Coalition presence.
More than 300 Iraqi Police officers from Dibbis, Sagaron, Tarkalan, Altun Kopri and Schawn took part in the operation, which was conducted using 32 Iraqi Police vehicles. At one of the sites, Iraqi Police discovered one of the largest caches in recent Kirkuk province history.
Included in the cache were approximately: 65 grenades, 83 rocket propelled grenades, 1,800 fuses, 1,060 mortar rounds, 250 various explosive projectiles, 3,000 small-arms rounds, 1,400 20 mm cannon rounds, and more than 1,000 pounds of explosives and improvised explosive device-making material.
Coalition Forces from Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment and Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, along with explosives ordnance disposal team members, were called in to safely dispose of the ordnance. In an extensive combined operation, Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a 13-hour clearing operation which resulted in the destruction of the more than 7 tons of deadly ordnance.
Terrorist technical advisor arrested
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers arrested an alleged terrorist technical advisor and an improvised explosive device cell leader during two raids in the Doura neighborhoods in the Rashid District Dec. 17.
Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., arrested a man believed to be an al-Qaeda technical advisor for an IED strike that killed nine Soldiers.
The suspected terrorist, who has multiple sworn statements against him, was taken to a Coalition Forces detention facility for further questioning.
Also that day, Soldiers of Co. C, following numerous tips, arrested the suspected leader of an IED cell during a cordon and knock operation.
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Volunteers arrested a suspected al-Qaeda operative and handed him to the ‘Warriors’ of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Inf. Div., attached to Task Force Dragon Dec. 18 in Doura.
In a separate incident, Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers arrested an alleged member of an anti-aircraft cell in the Doura neighborhood of the Rashid District Dec. 17.
Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division arrested the man who is believed to be a member of an anti-aircraft cell after receiving a tip the suspected terrorist from Arab Jabor was in their area of operations.
Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda propaganda and finance operations, six suspects detained
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained two wanted individuals and four additional suspects during operations today targeting al-Qaeda networks in central and northern Iraq.
During an operation in Baghdad, Coalition forces captured a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq associate allegedly involved in facilitating finances for the terrorist network in Arab Jabour. Reports indicate the wanted individual is associated with senior terrorists in the network responsible for numerous attacks against Coalition forces.
The Arab Jabour network is operating in a degraded state following recent Coalition forces success in the region, to include an operation Dec. 15 that led to the detention of another wanted individual suspected of being involved in the network (see MNF-I press release A071215a, “Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda operations; four terrorists killed, 18 detained,” dated Dec. 15, 2007).
Also in the capital city, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be involved in al-Qaeda in Iraq media and propaganda operations. The wanted individual is allegedly a close associate of three suspects, also involved in al-Qaeda media operations, who were detained by Coalition forces during operations last week.
Farther north in Mosul, four suspected terrorists were detained during an operation targeting an associate of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the city.
Iraqi Army, CLCs and MND-Center Soldiers remove al-Qaeda from Busayefi
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – The combined combat power of the 3rd Infantry Division and the Iraqi Army was illustrated Dec. 21 during a major operation in the city of Busayefi.
Operation Athens cleared a known al-Qaeda stronghold and was conducted by Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team; 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team and the 5th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.
Concerned Local Citizens also participated in the operation, providing actionable intelligence and identifying terrorists.
Throughout the operation the three units conducted direct fire, indirect fire, attack aviation and directed close air support from the Air Force.
The operation resulted in the deaths of five al-Qaeda members. Ten men were also detained by MND-C Soldiers after being identified as al-Qaeda by the CLCs.
Soldiers also eliminated 13 improvised explosive devices and discovered two weapons caches, which contained six 23 mm rounds, 69 mortars and a bag of unknown bulk explosives.
All ordnance was disposed of in controlled detonations.
Additionally, An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter engaged a vehicle-borne IED with a hellfire missile.
A second vehicle was also destroyed by the AWT. The vehicle was parked outside a known al-Qaeda meeting house
