Coalition, Iraqi Forces Detain 11, Find Weapons

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 4, 2008 - Coalition and Iraqi forces detained 11 suspected terrorists and found weapons caches during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said. In Mosul today, coalition forces detained a man believed to be an al-Qaida leader who resurfaced after being released from prison in March. Another suspected terrorist also was captured during the operation, officials said.

In operations yesterday, six suspected terrorists were captured by coalition forces near Kirkuk. Two of the suspects reportedly are part of an al-Qaida suicide-car-bombing operation and a foreign-terrorist-facilitation network, officials said.

In operations Aug. 2, Iraqi special operations soldiers detained four suspected terrorists in Mosul. The suspects reportedly are associated with an al-Qaida intimidation cell that uses ransoms from kidnappings to fund terrorist operations. The individuals also are believed to be involved in assassination attempts and oil smuggling, officials said.

In Baghdad on Aug. 2, Iraqi and coalition forces found weapons caches during three separate operations. They discovered 41 rocket-propelled grenades, 12 artillery rounds, four guided missiles, three mortar rounds, 2 pounds of explosives, and various small-arms ammunition, officials said.

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