Coalition Forces Capture Terrorists, Seize Weapons

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2006 – Coalition forces captured 13 suspected terrorists and found several weapons caches throughout Iraq this week, U.S. military officials in Iraq reported. Coalition forces successfully targeted and captured a wanted terrorist and another associate during a raid north of Tikrit, today. The targeted terrorist is a known leader of several al Qaeda in Iraq members in the area, officials said. Intelligence indicates the group is responsible for an attack on an Iraqi checkpoint that killed nine Iraqi security forces and wounded 14 others July 6.

Elsewhere, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained six suspected terrorists and located a buried weapons cache southwest of Baghdad on July 25. Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, noticed a suspicious burial site while conducting a dismounted combat patrol at about 2:15 p.m. The soldiers cordoned off the area and unearthed several mortar rounds, a box of miscellaneous ammunition, two mortar sites and other bomb-making materials. The weapons cache was destroyed in a controlled detonation by an explosive ordnance disposal team.

In another operation, Multinational Division Baghdad's 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, captured five wanted terrorists and seized four weapons caches during a counterinsurgency mission that began at about 2 a.m. July 24 and continued through 9:30 a.m. July 25 in Sayifiyah, a city in Babil province.

Overall, the caches consisted of various machine guns, a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, various mortar rounds, ammunition, and grenades. The caches also included duffel bags full of miscellaneous bomb-making materials, mortar fuses and detonation cord. During the operations, soldiers also disabled an improvised explosive device and identified a car bomb, which was destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team. The suspected terrorists were detained for questioning.

In a separate operation, patrols from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found weapons and munitions at sites north and west of Baghdad July 24 and 25. A patrol from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, seized 1,000 7.62 mm rounds, 800 PKC rounds, a 155 mm artillery round, a German sniper rifle, a 9 mm pistol, an AK-47 assault rifle and various bomb-making materials after responding to a tip west of Baghdad at about 9 p.m. July 25. Another patrol from the same unit seized various ammunition, including of 400 7.62 mm rounds of ammunition, 12 AK-47 magazines with ammunition, and 53 shotgun shells, at about 11:30 p.m. July 24 west of Baghdad.