Sunday, July 09, 2006

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2006 – Several Iraqi civilians were killed and injured during two July 7 terrorist attacks, and multiple weapons caches were found

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2006 – Several Iraqi civilians were killed and injured during two July 7 terrorist attacks, and multiple weapons caches were found last week, military officials in Iraq said. Terrorists fired four mortar rounds at an open field in the northern Baghdad district of Khadimiyah on July 7, killing four Iraqis and wounding 38 children. Iraqi children frequently use the field as a playground, officials said. Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, responded to the scene and assisted in the evacuation of the wounded and dead to a local hospital.

In a separate incident, a car bomb killed five Iraqis and injured two in the Bayaa district of western Baghdad on July 7. Several homes in the area were damaged by fire as a result of the blast. Iraqi fire departments fought the fire, and several patrols from 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division also responded to the area and assisted Iraqi fire fighters and wounded residents.

Also on July 7, after receiving a tip from a local citizen, Iraqi security forces searched the al Sadrain Mosque in Baghdad to locate a suspected terrorist cell leader believed to be hiding in the building. Officers from Iraq's 2nd National Police Division provided a cordon before elements of the 1st National Police Division entered the mosque, which resulted in the detention of 20 persons. The joint operation also included units from the Iraqi army. No shots were fired, and no damage occurred to the mosque during the operation.

On July 5, a terrorist died and two others were wounded when a makeshift bomb they were trying to emplace detonated near Yusufiyah, Iraq. Following a search of the area, Iraqi army soldiers from 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, found the two wounded terrorists at a sheik's house and offered to medically evacuate them to their patrol base. One of the terrorists fled the scene. Iraqi authorities detained the other wounded man and provided him medical attention. The sheik and his three sons also were detained, military officials said.

While searching the sheik's house, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, discovered a weapons cache consisting of rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, anti-personnel mines, rocket-propelled-grenade rounds, 60 mm mortar rounds, and .50 caliber rounds.

In addition, a patrol from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found an ammunition cache while conducting an area reconnaissance mission west of Baghdad on July 5. The cache consisted of rocket-propelled-grenade rounds, five rocket-propelled-grenade motors, homemade grenades, 7.62 mm rounds, canisters of fuses, and other rounds.

Another patrol from the same battalion found a second ammunition cache, which consisted of loaded rifle magazines and 7.62 mm rounds, west of Baghdad.

Coalition forces continue to conduct operations in the area to provide a safe and secure environment for all Iraqis, military officials said.

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