Coalition Forces Kill Seven Terrorists, Disrupt Car-Bomb Cell

American Forces Press Service

April 26, 2007 – Coalition forces in Iraq today killed seven terrorists and disrupted a vehicle-bomb network, military officials reported. In Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, four armed terrorists engaged coalition forces with small-arms fire, and the coalition troops exercised what officials called "proper self-defense measures," killing one attacker.

A vehicle approached the coalition forces during the engagement, which occurred during curfew hours, when vehicle movement is not allowed. Coalition forces disabled the vehicle, which caught fire. Two occupants ran into a nearby building.

Four more armed terrorists entered the area and hid behind a stationary vehicle while they engaged coalition forces with small-arms fire. Coalition forces returned fire with automatic weapons, killing two terrorists and destroying the vehicle.

"We will continue to target terrorists wherever they operate, to diminish their ability to conduct operations against the people of Iraq and security forces," said Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.

Coalition forces killed four more terrorists west of Taji, where intelligence reports indicated people with links to al Qaeda in Iraq's vehicle-bomb networks were present.
Ground forces were searching buildings at the targeted location when they began receiving heavy small-arms fire from one of the buildings.

The coalition forces returned fire and engaged the armed terrorists, but were unable to subdue them. Officials said the coalition forces used appropriate escalation of force to react to the threat and called for close air support. Four armed terrorists were killed in the ensuing CAS strike.

During a search of the objective, coalition forces found multiple weapons and explosive materials and destroyed them on site.

Officials said they believe two women and two children were also killed during the strike, and noted that al Qaeda in Iraq continues to place women and children in harm's way with their terrorist activities.

"Unfortunately al-Qaeda in Iraq continues to use women and children in their illegal activities," Garver said. "Al Qaeda continues to demonstrate they do not care about the future of Iraq, and we will continue to target all terrorists in Iraq regardless of their titles or positions within the community."

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

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