Coalition Forces in Iraq Detain Nine Suspects, Find IED

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 28, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq detained nine suspected terrorists, including two alleged al-Qaida in Iraq leaders, and found an improvised explosive device during operations in Baghdad and the Hamrin Mountains region of Diyala province today, military officials reported. A suspected terrorist leader who reportedly just returned to Iraq after trying to escape arrest during a trip to Syria was captured in Baghdad. The man is believed to be a regional al-Qaida in Iraq leader who orchestrates assassinations of Iraqis and allegedly moves foreign terrorists into Iraq to conduct attacks, officials said.

Information from a July 29 operation led coalition forces to Sadiyah, where they captured an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq leader suspected of directing attacks in the Hamrin Mountains region. Three additional suspects were detained in the operation.

Near Qara Tappa, coalition forces detained four suspects while targeting another al-Qaida leader who reportedly operates a kidnapping cell in the Hamrins and supplies terrorist cells with weapons and ammunition.

Early this morning, Mulinational Division Baghdad soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division's Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, contacted a coalition explosives ordnance disposal team to diffuse a possible IED in a house in the Hadar community of southern Baghdad.

In operations yesterday:

-- Coalition forces captured a suspected senior Iranian-backed "special groups" leader during an operation at Baghdad International Airport. Intelligence sources report that the captured man is part of the most senior social and operational circles of special groups. Most notably, he is believed to be responsible for the planning of the June 24 bombing of the Sadr City District Advisory Council meeting, where six Iraqis, two U.S. State Department employees and two U.S. servicemembers were killed. Ten other Iraqis were wounded in the blast. The man has been known to travel in and out of Iraq to neighboring nations including Iran and Lebanon, officials said. To maintain the safety and security of the passengers and patrons of the airport, coalition forces waited for the wanted man's plane to land, and in cooperation with airport authorities, detained the man without incident.

-- Members of the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group reported finding two grenades, two grenade fuses, 19 blasting caps, 30 AK-47 assault rifle magazines and a pound of propellant in the Shurta community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. The Iraqis contacted soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division's Company E, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, who took responsibility for the site.

-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers captured a weapons cache in the Abu Tshir community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division's Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, seized 10 60 mm mortar rounds, 10 mortar fuses and two 80 mm mortar rounds.

-- Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Troop B, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, discovered a pipe bomb, three bombs made from fire extinguishers and an undisclosed amount of homemade explosives in an abandoned house in the Abu Tshir community. The soldiers contacted a coalition forces explosives disposal unit, which confiscated the munitions. Upon further investigation, the soldiers also discovered a can rigged with detonation cord.

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