Good News From The War On Terror 1/26
Extremist sniper walks into Coalition hands (Baghdad)
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers were given a gift when a sniper walked into their control during a small arms engagement in West Rashid, Jan. 22.
“Black Lions,” of Company B, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, were hunting for three men believed to have been firing at them, when two men attempting to flee the cordon entered a house occupied by MND-B Soldiers.One of the men was positively identified at the scene as a known sniper, while the other is an alleged extremist.
The suspected sniper and extremist were taken to a Coalition Detention Facility for further questions.
This is part of Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers’ on going offensive operations in support of Operation Phantom Phoenix, to kill or capture al-Qaeda and Shia/Sunni extremists to deny them rest and sanctuary in Baghdad and the surrounding rural areas.
Iraqi citizens’ tips lead Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces to 2 weapons caches (al Kut)
BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, uncovered two weapons caches during separate patrols Jan. 24.
An Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics team from Al Kut was conducting a patrol with U.S. Special Forces near Badrah. At a stop in one village, a group of Iraqi civilians informed Iraqi and U.S. Forces of a possible munitions cache. Iraqi and U.S. Forces discovered and secured a cache consisting of 321 anti-personnel mines, two 155mm artillery rounds and one 120mm mortar round.
In the village of Shawq Sha Alan, a team of 8th Iraqi Army Division Soldiers and U.S. Special Forces recovered a cache after receiving a tip from an Iraqi citizen.
The cache included one SVD rifle, one RPG-7 launcher with sight, two RPG-7 rounds with boosters, three hand grenades, two PKC machine guns, one flare gun, two shot guns, two pistols, 150 DSHK heavy machine gun rounds, 800 PKC rounds, 250 AK rounds and two boxes of propellant charges.
Three terrorists killed, two detained during operations targeting al-Qaeda
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained two suspects Friday and today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating along the Tigris River Valley.
Intelligence reports led Coalition forces to conduct an operation Friday southwest of Samarra, targeting several individuals reportedly associated with a known al-Qaeda in Iraq meeting location.
During the operation, Coalition forces observed three armed suspects maneuvering in the target area. Coalition forces fired warning shots in an attempt to get the armed men to stop their movement, but they did not comply. Coalition forces engaged, killing the terrorists. As the ground force secured the area, they found multiple machine guns, a pistol and two barrels of ammunition.
In Tikrit Friday, Coalition forces captured the alleged senior leader for the al-Qaeda in Iraq network in the city. Reports indicate the suspected terrorist is involved in the facilitation of weapons and foreign terrorists. The wanted individual is allegedly associated with numerous al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders, as well as another suspected terrorist who was detained Jan. 21 for similar involvement in the Kirkuk network.
During continued efforts to disrupt al-Qaeda operating in northern Iraq, Coalition forces detained one suspected terrorist this morning while targeting an alleged leader for the network in east Mosul.
MND-North Soldiers uncover large caches west of Bayji
BAYJI, Iraq – In the desert area west of Bayji Multi-National Division – North Soldiers uncovered two large caches after a helicopter spotted multiple white bags being covered by tarps and blankets Jan. 25.
When Soldiers arrived at the location, they discovered two different sites where tarps were being used to cover the caches. The first contained approximately 60, 50- kilogram bags of a substance used in the making of homemade explosives and the other had nine of the 50-kilogram bags. The other site also housed various types of plastic explosives, anti-tank mines, an improvised platter charge, a suicide vest packed with TNT and miscellaneous detonation wire and remote detonation devices.
Military explosive experts destroyed all the munitions at both sites. After detonating the bags, the result of the hole was much larger than the EOD personnel had calculated. According to the EOD personnel, this may have been a result of more bags being buried underneath the discovered cache.
