NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Terrorists Fleeing Attack Scenes Nabbed by U.S. Soldiers

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Task Force Baghdad Soldiers continued to engage enemy terrorist forces during combat operations Oct. 24-26 in various neighborhoods of the city.

While on patrol, the U.S. Soldiers found and destroyed several improvised explosive devices before they could be detonated. Other Coalition forces successes included discovering several weapons caches and detaining suspected terrorists who were often caught fleeing the scene of their attacks.

One team of terrorists attempting to place an IED along a road west of Baghdad was spotted by U.S. forces who then engaged them with gunfire. Some of the would-be bombers fled in a truck, while other terrorists fired back at the Soldiers pursuing them. Within the hour, two of the terrorists had been detained by Task Force Baghdad Soldiers.

Another U.S. patrol operating southwest of Baghdad Oct. 24 found an IED consisting of three 155 mm rounds. The patrol detained one individual in the area who was in possession of an AK-47 assault rifle, a shotgun and a trigger device. A U.S. explosives ordnance disposal team was called in to destroy the IED.

On Oct. 26, a U.S. patrol in the al-Doura district in southeast Baghdad found and destroyed an IED which consisted of four 122 mm rounds, a 130 mm round and a land mine.

Another Task Force Baghdad patrol struck an IED Oct. 25 southwest of Baghdad. There were no injuries or damage from the blast. As Soldiers were securing the site, they noticed two individuals fleeing the scene. The U.S. Soldiers detained the two terror suspects for further questioning.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers continued to aggressively hunt down stockpiles of weapons and bomb-making materials in order to deny terrorists the opportunity to use them against Iraqi security forces, Iraqi civilians or Coalition forces.

On Oct. 24, one unit north of Baghdad excavated more than 120 mortar rounds, 49 tank and artillery rounds, eight cases of small-arms ammunition, dozens of rockets, three boxes of mortar fuses, a rocket-propelled grenade warhead and two anti-aircraft gun barrels. An EOD team destroyed the cache while Task Force Baghdad Soldiers detained 12 individuals for further questioning about the weapons cache.

Earlier that same day, another unit revisiting the site of an earlier weapons cache west of Baghdad found more munitions piled at the same site, including 12 hand grenades, three 125 mm rounds and one 115 mm round. That cache was also destroyed by an EOD team.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq