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Sensitive to Mosque but successful

With only a crescent moon, the stars and night-vision goggles to light the path, Iraqi Security Forces and elements of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division moved on several objectives during the early morning hours.

The stakes in this operation were high because the mission was to search a mosque and its surrounding muhalla in Doura neighborhood's southern region of Abu T'schir in the Rasheed district.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces had been given the mission to move on the first objective, the Kathamayan Mosque, while elements of 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment secured the outer cordon and provided several roof-top observation teams for the mission.

Known as the "Warhorse" Battalion, 1st Sqdn., 14th Cav., part of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, is attached to the 4th BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

As a place designated for worship, a mosque is a sensitive area to operate, and the decision to search the place of Muslim worship was a weighted one, said Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Shover, command sergeant major, 1st Sqdn., 14th Cav.

The squadron received several tips from local citizens that illegal armed militia have been using the mosque to conduct insurgent operations in the area.

A suspected armed militia group leader on the squadron's high value individual list was also believed to be inside the mosque.

The decision was made, continued Shover; the mosque had to be searched. ISOF was chosen to conduct the search inside the mosque while U.S. forces provided external security for the operation, he said.

Following the search, three men were detained for questioning. They were released later that day.

As the sun started to break, the ISOF element was pulling out of the mosque, but on the other side of the muhalla, Company C, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, had already started searching house to house.

"Our part of the mission was to secure the area around the mosque," said Sgt. Mauro Rutigliano, squad leader, Company C, 5th Bn., 20th Inf. Reg., 2nd ID. "Every house was searched, which took about four hours. We worked to standard, not to time."

Teamed with the 6th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, the company moved house to house searching for illegal weapons, or evidence the residents may have been involved in terrorist activity against the government of Iraq or Coalition Forces, said Shover.

During the search of the muhalla, five residents were detained for questioning. All were later released.

As the search was winding down, a local citizen stepped forward with information about a weapons cache belonging to the mosque, said Rutigliano. The cache was in a red shipping container positioned next to the Kathamayan Mosque.

When the lock on the container was cut, the Soldiers knew they had found something big, said Shover.

Although further investigation of the cache would have to wait until an explosive ordnance disposal team could determine the container was not booby trapped, it was later discovered that 15 120mm artillery rounds, 15 81mm artillery rounds, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, four RPG rounds,12 RPG boosters, nine 60mm artillery rounds, five Iraqi uniforms, an 81mm artillery tube, 1,900 7.62mm rounds, a mortar tripod, an automatic machine gun, three 81mm rounds, four AK-47 magazines, two fuses, and two hand grenades were inside the shipping container.

The cache was a great find, said Shover. It takes away the terrorists' resources, limiting the enemy's ability to launch attacks on Iraqi and Coalition Forces.

"Insurgents are running out of places to hide," Shover said. "We will find him; maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but we will catch you!"

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq