Coalition Forces In Iraq Detain Dozens of Suspects, Seize Weapons Caches

American Forces Press Service

June 1, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq captured dozens of terrorism suspects and continued to uncover enemy weapons stockpiles in operations over the past few days, military officials reported.
In operations today:

-- Coalition troops captured four men believed to be members of Iranian-backed "special groups" in Baghdad's Kadhamiyah district. Intelligence sources led coalition forces to the residence of a suspect wanted for of smuggling Iranian weapons and coordinating special groups training in Iran. The man also is suspected of training others in sniper tactics and acting as a key conduit among special groups leaders in western Baghdad. Forces detained the man and three others without incident.

-- Coalition forces caught four men wanted for ties to al-Qaida in Iraq and detained 10 others during operations around Mosul and Baghdad. Forces captured two wanted men in Mosul thought to be associated with al-Qaida in Iraq senior leaders in the city. Seven others were detained there. West of Balad, coalition forces detained four terrorism suspects, including a man wanted for ties to al-Qaida in Iraq senior leaders in Iraq's Salahuddin province. In operations in Abu Ghraib, forces netted a man wanted for attacks in the area.

In operations yesterday:

-- Soldiers in Baghdad caught six suspected enemy fighters. Coalition troops in the Iraqi capital's West Rashid district caught a man suspected of being a weapons smuggler and facilitator and a roadside bomb maker. Iraqi soldiers arrested two men suspected of criminal activity in the Mansour district. Coalition forces detained two alleged al-Qaida in Iraq members northwest of Baghdad and another suspect was detained in the Adamiyah district.

-- Coalition forces uncovered a cache during a weapons search in the East Rashid district of Baghdad. The cache contained four anti-tank grenades, three rocket-propelled grenades, 200 7.62 mm rounds, two 107 mm rockets, a claymore mine, 13 86 mm mortars, five 60 mm mortars and two 57 mm surface-to-air rockets.

-- Forces captured a key suspect in a special groups criminal ring in Baghdad's Rusafa district. The suspect is believed to be an assistant to a senior Iranian-trained special groups leader. The man is suspected of kidnapping and managing funds for special groups in Sadr City. Forces also recovered several weapons at the suspect's residence.

-- Two enemy fighters were detained by coalition forces in Ghazni province. Forces searched compounds in the province's Andar district looking for a militant leader wanted for aiding foreign fighters and bomb attacks.

-- Soldiers caught a suspect in the Jazair neighborhood. The man allegedly is connected with several murders, weapons smuggling and other criminal activities.

-- Iraqi special operations forces captured a man in Baghdad suspected of several indirect-fire attacks on a coalition forces base in Abu Tshir. He also allegedly is a sniper for a special groups cell. Another suspect was detained in the operation.

-- In Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, coalition forces targeted an alleged terrorist administrator thought to aid the movement of explosives for al-Qaida in Iraq.

-- Iraqi soldiers and national police officers recovered weapons caches in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Police recovered an explosively formed projectile – a roadside bomb designed to pierce armored vehicles -- and Iraqi soldiers seized one EFP, two light machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

-- In other operations, Iraqi soldiers seized several EFPs, RPGs and rifles. Iraqi soldiers recovered a weapons cache that held 17 AK-47 assault rifles, three rifles, an anti-tank mine, two 155 mm rounds and three machine guns. Iraqi soldiers seized another weapons cache that held six 81 mm and 82 mm mortar tubes, and more than 100 81 mm and 82 mm mortar rounds.

In earlier operations:

-- Coalition forces captured a man May 30 near Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, believed to spearhead al-Qaida in Iraq propaganda and suspected of conspiring with terrorist leaders.

-- Iraqi forces captured two suspected terrorists in an operation in Nasser Wa Salaam, west of Baghdad, May 30. The men are believed to be al-Qaida in Iraq weapons traffickers.

-- Iraqi forces caught two special groups cell suspects May 30 in Baghdad. The men are believed to be responsible for the kidnapping, torture and murder of two Iraqi special operations soldiers. One of the men also is suspected of other kidnappings and murders in Baghdad. Seven other suspects were detained during the operation.

-- Iraqi and coalition forces seized several munitions May 30 across Baghdad. In the Shurta area of Rashid, forces seized four mortar rounds and several rifle rounds. On the outskirts of Sadr City, forces seized 12 60 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, two 60 mm mortars, two 82 mm high-explosive rounds, two rocket mortar rounds, a 57 mm rocket and a 40 mm mortar round. Northwest of Baghdad, soldiers found five 81 mm mortar rounds, a 60 mm mortar round and a grenade.

-- Iraqi police discovered two weapons caches in the Tikrit area of the Salahuddin province May 29. More than 250 rounds were buried in the farmlands. The ordnance ranged from 57 mm to 155 mm rounds, and the cache included rocket-propelled grenades, a propane tank and nearly 150 fuses.

-- Iraqi national police uncovered a weapons cache during a May 29 operation in eastern Baghdad. The police found 82 rifles, three pistols, four roadside bombs including one armor-piercing device, seven rocket-propelled grenades and C-4 explosives.

-- Iraqi forces captured a suspected terrorist May 29 in Mosul. The suspect allegedly is responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Iraqi policemen and bomb attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. Two additional suspects were detained.

-- Iraqi special operations forces caught two suspected terrorists May 29 in Mosul. The two men are wanted for kidnapping and murder. Twenty-one other suspects were detained in the operation.

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