NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Coalition, Iraqi operations

Coalition and Iraqi forces operations this week dealt devastating blows to the al-Qaida network as more than a dozen terrorists, including a top al-Qaida leader, were either captured or killed.

During simultaneous raids north of Baqouba June 20, Coalition forces killed 15 terrorists and detained three other suspects.

Upon arrival to the objective area, Coalition forces came under immediate small arms fire from a rooftop. The ground force returned fire, killing nine armed terrorists on the rooftop. Two more armed terrorists, who were identified firing on Coalition forces from next to the building, were killed by Coalition aircraft supporting fire.

Following this initial contact, Coalition forces found 10 AK-47 assault rifles, one shotgun, one pistol and a crate of explosives.

One supporting aircraft hit utility wires as they were engaging the armed terrorists. The aircraft was damaged and forced to make a controlled landing. There were no injuries to the crew and the ground force immediately secured the site.

Three armed suspects were then killed by another Coalition aircraft as they attempted to attack the downed aircraft.

After securing the aircraft, Coalition forces moved to assault the building that several terrorists had fled to following the first contact. One terrorist was killed by a Coalition sniper as he attempted to engage the troops from the nearby rooftop.

The force cleared the buildings, detaining the three terrorists. The captured individuals, who fled earlier, were found hiding amidst nine women. None of the women were injured. One of the detained terrorists was wounded at the initial target building after he engaged Coalition forces.

The raids were targeting individuals associated with a suspected senior al-Qaida in Iraq network member targeted in previous Coalition operations.

The damaged aircraft was recovered prior to all forces returning to base, and all weapons and explosives were destroyed on-site.

In another operation June 19 southwest of Baqouba, Coalition forces detained a senior al-Qaida in Iraq network member and three suspected terrorists during coordinated raids.

The terrorist is reportedly a senior al-Qaida cell leader throughout central Iraq, north of Baghdad. He's known to be involved in facilitating foreign terrorists throughout central Iraq, and is suspected of having ties to previous attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces.

Coalition forces secured multiple buildings and detained the known terrorist plus three suspected terrorists without incident. Troops found an AK-47 with several magazines of ammunition and destroyed them all on site.

In another joint effort June 15 in an area near Scania in the Babil province, the Iraqi 8th Army Division and Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers captured more suspected criminals.

Iraqi soldiers from 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division conducted a search for terrorists in two homes near Ash Shumali, while MND-B soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division provided the outer cordon.

Iraqi forces searched the first house without incident and found a weapons cache consisting of approximately 30 feet of detonation cord, three blasting caps - attached to both detonation cord and electrical wire - a bomb initiation system, a set of binoculars, a sniper rifle, a pistol, an AK-47 with full magazine and a sword.

They entered the second house without resistance, finding five males. During the search of the house, Soldiers found a PKC hidden under blankets in a storage room and a partially constructed bomb, consisting of a metallic cylinder, blasting cap and detonation cord.

An Army explosive ordnance detachment removed the bomb to a safe area and conducted a controlled detonation. Iraqi soldiers also found a 7.62 bolt-action rifle with full magazine and various bomb-making materials.

The evidence gathered at the scene resulted in the detention of all five suspects.

During a cordon and search mission in a village near Kifl June 18, in the Babil province, 8th Iraqi Army Division soldiers and Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists.

The three terrorists were suspected of being members of a bomb-making cell responsible for the deaths of numerous innocent civilians and Iraqi and Coalition Soldiers. After questioning, two detainees were kept for further interrogation and one was released.

Information gathered from intelligence sources allowed the combined force to narrow their focus to target three houses in the village. The 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army soldiers searched the homes and detained the suspected criminals, while the area was cordoned off by Soldiers of 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

During another successful operation June 12 in western Baghdad, Iraqi Army forces conducted an early morning raid to capture an individual linked to kidnapping activities.

While Coalition force advisers looked on, Iraqi forces captured a kidnapper who worked for insurgents in the Abu-Gharib area of Baghdad.

His kidnapping activities fund terrorist activities, including vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks, and the money also provides ammunition and weapons for attacks against Iraqi citizens and Iraqi security and Coalition forces.

Iraqi forces also seized three AK-47 assault rifles and one pistol, and no Iraqi or Coalition forces were killed or wounded during this operation.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq