Nine Terrorists Killed in Iraq, 12 Detained; Weapons Cache Found

American Forces Press Service

Feb. 9, 2007 – Coalition forces killed nine terrorists, detained 12 others, and discovered a large weapons cache in operations around Iraq over the past three days. Coalition forces conducted an air strike in the Arab Jabour area yesterday targeting al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists and foreign fighter facilitators. Coalition aircraft killed eight terrorists when they dropped precision bombs on their facility.

In Baqubah yesterday, Iraqi and coalition forces encountered unidentified enemy fighters while responding to an improvised explosive device attack.

Combined forces received heavy small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire from enemy fighters in several buildings around the area. Combined forces returned fire, killing one insurgent.

Elsewhere in Iraq yesterday, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, detained a man who was attempting to detonate an improvised explosive device near Camp Taji.

Earlier this week, soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, patrolling the Nablis neighborhood west of Mosul Feb. 6 accidentally collided with a civilian vehicle. The vehicle's two occupants immediately attempted to flee the scene, but were apprehended by the Iraqi soldiers.

After tactical questioning, one detainee told Iraqi soldiers where a huge weapons cache was located. Using the new intelligence, Iraqi soldiers raided a house behind a sheep market in the neighborhood.

Troops discovered a false wall in the house, hiding eight AK-47 assault rifles, four RPK automatic machine guns, six RPG launchers, a sniper rifle, a semi-automatic carbine, loads of ammunition, grenades, nine ski masks and a fully functional IED.

Iraqi soldiers detained six suspected insurgents at the site, five of whom possessed plastic explosive materials. During a raid the following night, troops detained three other suspects.

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