Coalition Forces in Iraq Kill Enemy Fighter, Detain Suspects

American Forces Press Service

July 20, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed an enemy fighter, detained dozens of terrorism suspects and seized illegal weapons stockpiles in operations over the last few days, military officials reported.
In operations today:

-- In Beiji, south of Mosul, forces captured a suspected an al-Qaida in Iraq operative. During the operation, the target was injured, and another suspect was killed. Another suspect was detained.

-- Two other operations in Beiji targeted al-Qaida in Iraq leaders and netted four suspected terrorists.

-- In Baghdad, forces captured two alleged al-Qaida in Iraq leaders wanted for kidnappings and attacks against civilians and security forces. Two others were detained in the operations.

-- Also in Baghdad, forces detained two suspects in an extremist group that reportedly has been helping al-Qaida in Iraq's propaganda network.

--In Mosul, coalition forces detained three terrorism suspects.

In operations yesterday:

-- Soldiers in Baghdad detained a suspected criminal in the Saydiyah neighborhood and two suspected terrorists during an operation in the Zubaida neighborhood.

-- Operations in Anbar province netted two suspected terrorists.

-- Soldiers seized a handful of weapons caches in Baghdad. Soldiers recovered 56 AK-47s, two SKS rifles and two pistols in the West Rashid district of Baghdad. Soldiers also found a cache containing 10 AK-47s in an abandoned house in West Rashid. Soldiers found a cache northwest of Baghdad that held four 57 mm rockets, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and two 155 mm mortar rounds. Soldiers recovered a cache in the Kadamiyah district of Baghdad that included three RPG launchers, five rocket boosters, two homemade improvised explosive device tubes and four RPG rounds.

In operations July 18:

-- Troops in Karmah, west of Baghdad, captured a man wanted for attacks against Iraqi civilians and security forces.

-- Coalition forces captured a wanted man in Sharqat, south of Mosul. The suspect is believed to be behind suicide bombings in the area, officials said.

-- Sixteen suspects were nabbed in a sweep of an area near Mosul. Forces also recovered an anti-aircraft weapon, ammunition and a cache of homemade explosives.

-- Soldiers detained a man whom officials called a highly sought-after suspect in Taji, northwest of Baghdad. The suspect is accused of supporting the insurgency by supplying intelligence reports.

-- Iraqi security forces detained two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq cell members and three suspected members of Iranian-backed groups in operations around central Iraq. The suspects are believed to be involved in murder, kidnapping, extortion, mortar attacks and bombings against Iraqi and coalition forces.

-- Soldiers north of Baghdad recovered a weapons cache that held a 122 mm artillery round, a 105 mm artillery round and three 57 mm projectile rounds.

-- In the Saydiyah community of southeastern Baghdad, soldiers recovered an anti-tank mine.

-- U.S. soldiers rescued five Iraqi National Police officers from the rooftop of a burning building at a joint security station in eastern Baghdad. A medical evacuation helicopter crew evacuated the trapped police officers and transported them to a combat support hospital for treatment.

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