Coalition Kills One, Detains 11 in Iraq Operations

American Forces Press Service

Feb. 25, 2008 - Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained 11 suspects during operations to disrupt al Qaeda operations in central and northern Iraq today and yesterday.
During operations in Iraq today:

-- Coalition forces conducted an operation east of Khan Bani Sad targeting an alleged improvised-explosive-device and suicide-bombing facilitator. During the operation, coalition forces were fired upon and returned fire, killing one terrorist. They also detained two suspected terrorists and destroyed a vehicle found in the area that contained explosive materials.

-- Coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists, including an alleged al Qaeda associate involved in media and propaganda operations. The individual reportedly is associated with suspects detained Feb. 8, including two alleged senior leaders involved in the Baghdad and Mosul al Qaeda media networks.

-- In Anbar province, six suspected terrorists were detained west of Samarra during an operation targeting associates of a senior leader involved in al Qaeda media and propaganda operations.

In other operations around Iraq yesterday:

-- Coalition forces captured an alleged leader of an insurgent group associated with al Qaeda who has worked with that network's senior leadership.

-- South of Baghdad, coalition forces captured a suspected Iranian-backed "special groups" finance facilitator and detained six other suspected criminal in the Suwayrah area. The targeted individual reportedly is a finance leader for Iranian-affiliated special groups in Iraq's southern provinces, including Najaf, Karbala, Babil, Wasit and Qadisiyah. He was allegedly a mortar and rocket specialist who had trained in Iran. During the operation, coalition forces also discovered large amounts of U.S. currency.

-- Coalition forces captured four suspected al Qaeda leaders accused of involvement in numerous terrorist attacks in the Baghdad area yesterday, including car- and suicide-bomb attacks.

In Feb. 22 operations, Iraqi forces in coordination with U.S. soldiers from Troop B, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, discovered five weapons caches in the Busayefi area. The caches consisted of homemade bombs, homemade liquid explosives, 80 mm mortar rounds, 60 mm mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, an AK-47 assault rifle, 7.62 mm ammunition, and anti-American propaganda. An explosives disposal team destroyed the caches in a controlled detonation.

Also Feb. 22, paratroopers with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, detained a suspected special groups facilitator during an operation in Baghdad's Shaab neighborhood.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

The Hi Tech Criminal Justice Newsletter assisted in the preparation of this entry.