Troops in Iraq Catch Dozens of Suspects, Seize Weapons Caches

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 17, 2008 - Coalition and Iraqi forces detained dozens of suspects and seized scores of weapons and munitions in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said. Coalition forces detained eight suspected terrorists in central and northern Iraq today while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq operatives responsible for bringing foreigners into Iraq and coordinating bombings.

During those operations:

-- Troops detained two wanted men and an associate in Biaj for their suspected ties to an al-Qaida in Iraq network that assists foreign terrorists in the Jazirah Desert.

-- Forces in Tikrit used information from an operation Jul. 9 to capture an alleged senior member of the bombing network that operates in the Tigris River Valley. Troops also caught an additional suspect on site and another suspect in a related raid in Beiji.

-- In the Iraqi capital, forces captured a wanted man and an associate reportedly working for a Baghdad-based al-Qaida in Iraq foreign-fighter-facilitation network.

In operations yesterday:
-- Coalition forces in Baghdad captured three suspects, including the alleged member of a car-bombing network that targets civilians in the northern belt around the Iraqi capital. Troops also caught four suspects from the al-Qaida in Iraq foreign-terrorist network in Baghdad.

-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained four alleged criminals in eastern Baghdad, including one who military officials characterized as a "key suspected criminal."

-- Troops in Tikrit captured two suspected terrorists, one of whom is a man wanted for leading a bombing cell. In a related raid the following day, forces captured another alleged bombing-cell leader, who reportedly provides explosives training to al-Qaida in Iraq operatives.

-- Forces captured two suspects in Mosul who are reportedly part of a foreign-fighter-facilitation network that primarily operates in Anbar province. Troops also detained a suspected member of the al-Qaida in Iraq financial network in Mosul.

-- Coalition forces in Kut detained an alleged key assistant to an Iranian-backed "special group" after the individual's brother led troops to the suspect's location, military officials said.

Coalition and Iraqi forces confiscated scores of weapons and munitions caches throughout Baghdad in about a dozen raids, some of which spanned two days and culminated yesterday. Troops nabbed stockpiles in several parts of the Iraqi capital: Sadr City, Kadhamiyah, Ghazaliyah, East and West Rashid, New Baghdad, and Mansuriyah. The caches contained grenades, munitions rounds, assault rifles, bomb-making materials, and other equipment, military officials said.

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