Good News From The War On Terror 1/18
Operation Phantom Phoenix air strikes take out al-Qaeda training area (Arab Jabour)
BAGHDAD – Air strikes dropped 10,000 pounds of munitions Jan. 16 on bunkers in Arab Jabour used by al-Qaeda as training sites for new recruits.
Intelligence led the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. to the location of the AQI bunkers. Air Force B-1 Bombers dropped 19 GBU-31s on the site.
South of Zambraniyah, Soldiers from the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regt., 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. found two booby-trapped houses while on a foot patrol.
Air support was called by 6-8 Cav. to destroy the houses. Navy F-18 jets dropped a 500-pound bomb on each of the houses.
Operation Marne Thunderbolt, a part of the country-wide Operation Phantom Phoenix, continues to relentlessly pursue al-Qaeda and other extremists elements operating south of Baghdad.
Coalition forces conduct air strike on al-Qaeda meeting, four terrorists killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed four terrorists Thursday during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Qulay’ah, west of Muqdadiyah.
During the operation, surveillance elements positively identified several terrorists at an al-Qaeda in Iraq meeting location. Coalition forces directed a precision air strike and assessed that four terrorists were killed in the operation.
Coalition forces also directed a precision air strike on a vehicle, which intelligence reports indicated was carrying an anti-aircraft weapon. The driver of the vehicle transporting the weapon was one of the terrorists killed in the initial air strike. The vehicle and weapon were destroyed to prevent future use by terrorists.
Al-Qaeda operations in northern Iraq disrupted; 13 killed, three detained
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed 13 terrorists and detained three suspects Thursday and today during operations targeting al-Qaeda networks in central and northern Iraq.
Southwest of Hawijah this morning, Coalition forces targeted an alleged senior leader involved in the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in Kirkuk. The suspect is allegedly responsible for facilitating finances for terrorist operations in the region and involved in improvised explosive device attacks. Reports also indicate he was a close associate of Abu Harith, the senior leader of the Kirkuk terrorist network, before he was killed during a Coalition forces operation Nov. 21.
As Coalition forces arrived in the target area, they were engaged by small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. The ground force returned fire in self-defense and called for supporting aircraft. As the firefight continued, Coalition forces observed armed terrorists emerging from the target building. Supporting aircraft engaged them and enemy personnel firing from inside the target buildings. The ground force then observed secondary explosions erupt from the buildings, indicating that explosive materials were likely stored inside. Due to the hostile environment, the ground force pulled back and called for supporting aircraft to engage the buildings to destroy any remaining explosives. The ground force assessed that a total of nine terrorists were killed during the engagement.
West of Muqdadiyah today, Coalition forces targeted alleged associates of the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the northeast Diyala River Valley region. Reports indicate the individuals were associated with an al-Qaeda in Iraq meeting that was targeted by Coalition forces Thursday after they identified a terrorist transporting an anti-aircraft weapon in his vehicle (see MNF-I press release A080118a, “Coalition forces conduct air strike on al-Qaeda meeting, four terrorists killed,” dated Jan 18, 2008). Coalition forces confirmed the presence of the terrorists in the target area and called a supporting aircraft to engage, killing four terrorists and destroying two buildings believed to be used for terrorist activities.
During three coordinated operations near Samarra Thursday and this morning, Coalition forces detained three suspects while targeting foreign terrorist facilitators involved in the al-Qaeda network in the city. Reports indicate that one of the suspected terrorists detained is involved in foreign terrorist facilitation and is associated with al-Qaeda members that conduct attacks against Coalition forces. The individual allegedly uses his residence as a safe haven for al-Qaeda members and foreign terrorists, and has ties to senior leaders in the network.
ISF, CLCs take lead in AQI clearing operation (Buhritz Al-Abarra)
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Iraqi Army Soldiers killed one enemy combatant and detained 53 suspects during a joint operation with Iraqi Police, Concerned Local Citizens and Coalition Forces in the villages of Buhritz Al-Abarra and Imam Ways, just south of Baqubah Jan. 14-16.
The operation, dubbed Viking Harvest II by CF, which is part of Operation Phantom Phoenix - a country-wide effort to eliminate al-Qaeda and other extremists in Iraq - also resulted in the clearing of more than 30 improvised explosive devices, the reduction of five booby-trapped houses and the discovery of two weapon caches.
The Iraqi Security Forces and CLCs took the lead in the operation, with U.S. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery providing support through blocking positions around the towns.
Now that AQI has been cleared from the area, many local Iraqis are now returning to the villages, according to Capt. Brent Hoops, acting commander of Battery B, 2-12 FA, who noted that 375 displaced persons have returned to their homes so far.
ISF and CFs are currently in the process of standing up more CLCs, creating checkpoints, and establishing a permanent IA checkpoint to ensure insurgents do not return.
Iraqi Army raid leads to large cache (Al Kussyat)
TIKRIT, Iraq – A raid conducted by the 2nd Iraqi Army Division in Al Kussyat, netted a large weapons cache Jan. 16.
The 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division’s raid was driven on information gathered from captured insurgents and resulted in the detention of two personnel.
The discovered cache consisted of five mortar systems, 300 mortar rounds, 500 lbs of TNT, 50 remote control devises, 26 Katusha rockets, 25 anti-personnel mines, 600 mortar charges and other various weapons including ammunition, wires and office copy equipment.
