Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Coalition Troops Kill Three Terrorists, Detain 17

American Forces Press Service

Sept. 4, 2007 - Coalition forces killed three
terrorists and detained 17 during operations around Iraq today. Coalition forces detained two suspected weapons smugglers in a pre-dawn raid in the village of Qazaniyah, near the Iraqi-Iranian border northeast of Baqubah.

The detained individuals are suspected of having contact with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force. The suspects are believed to have smuggled and distributed Iranian weapons, including explosively formed penetrators. Intelligence indicates the suspects had traveled to and from Iran, U.S. officials said. AK-47 rifles, ammunition,
military gear, documents, photographs and currency were confiscated.

"Coalition troops continue to kill and capture terrorists who bring Iranian weapons into Iraq," said
Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "Coalition forces demonstrate their resolve by continuing to pursue these nefarious networks that provide EFPs to those who intend to kill Iraqi citizens and subvert the prospects of a stable and secure Iraq."

In other Iraq operations today:

-- Coalition forces killed two
terrorists, detained 10 suspects and found several caches of explosives during operations targeting al Qaeda in Iraq. Four suspects were detained in the Rusafa neighborhood of Baghdad, including two key suspected al Qaeda in Iraq members. One is a personnel and weapons facilitator for al Qaeda in Iraq. Another suspect, nicknamed "the Monster," is tied to the al Qaeda in Iraq agent in Rusafa and to another operative who was killed May 23.

-- Coalition forces found two caches of weapons and explosives during coordinated raids northwest of Tarmiyah, where they captured two more key suspected al Qaeda in Iraq agents. An air strike destroyed captured enemy rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, improvised explosive devices and a bomb-making lab. Two other suspects were detained.

-- North of Muqdadiyah, coalition forces discovered an al Qaeda in Iraq compound, clinic and roadside bombs. Coalition forces detained one suspect during the operation.

"We're steadily taking chipping away at the al Qaeda in Iraq network," Garver said. "We are on the offensive and will not back down until the Iraqi people can develop the future they have chosen, free of
terrorist attacks."

During operations yesterday, coalition and Iraqi forces captured 50 suspected terrorists, including two senior terror
leaders, U.S. officials reported.

-- Iraqi troops and U.S. Special Forces soldiers caught an alleged murder-squad member in a raid in the Baghdad area. The detainee is tied to kidnappings, torture and killings committed in the Bub al Shaam and Shaab areas of New Baghdad. The suspect allegedly is responsible for attacks on coalition forces. Body armor and detonators and other bomb-making materials were seized in the raid.

-- Iraqi commandos detained a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq leader during a raid near Kirkuk. The terror leader's group is suspected of planning attacks in Ninewa, Salah Ad Din and At Tamim provinces. Two days earlier, Iraqi troops had captured the leader's deputy, a wanted member of the former Baath Party. Propane tanks and wires, 125,000 Iraqi dinars and assorted documents were seized during these operations. U.S. Special Forces soldiers advised Iraqi troops in both operations.

-- Iraqi troops and U.S. Special Forces soldiers captured six suspected al Qaeda in Iraq members during a raid in Rabiah. One detainee is linked to an attack in Mosul that caused the death of seven policemen. Other detainees are tied to terror-financing operations. Forty other individuals with links to al Qaeda also were detained. Identification cards, documents, photographs, books, improvised explosive device-making material and a box of machine gun ammunition were confiscated.

-- Coalition troops caught two suspected insurgents during a raid in southeastern Baghdad. U.S. soldiers with 25th Infantry Division also found one AK-47 rifle with five full magazines, a bandolier and some explosives.

In Sept. 2 operations:

-- U.S. attack helicopters destroyed an al Qaeda safe house in Arab Jabour. Aircrews engaged the house with two Hellfire missiles, seven rockets, and machine-gun fire.

-- U.S. soldiers found weapons hidden in a plastic barrel while conducting a foot patrol near Patrol Base Murray. The barrel contained three AK-47 rifles, 14 mortar primers, six magazine carriers and 24 magazines.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq, Multinational Force Iraq and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Arabian Peninsula news releases.)

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