Coalition Kills Suspected Terrorist, Captures 17

American Forces Press Service

Nov. 21, 2008 - Coalition and Iraqi forces killed a suspected terrorist, captured 17 others and seized dozens of weapons in Iraq in the past week, military officials said. Coalition troops detained 14 suspected terrorists, including three wanted men, today and yesterday while targeting the al-Qaida in Iraq network.

During operations west of Baghdad today, forces captured two suspected terrorists with alleged connections to al-Qaida in Iraq leaders in Anbar province. Five others also were detained.

Also today, forces targeting a suicide bomber in Baghdad detained one suspect. Elsewhere, forces captured a suspected terrorist with alleged connections to al-Qaida in Iraq bombing cells in Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

Yesterday in Kirkuk, forces captured a suspected terrorist with alleged connections to al-Qaida leaders in Tamim province, along with four others.

In another operation, Iraqi special operations forces came under fire Nov. 19 in Diwaniya while targeting suspected terrorists. They returned fire, killing the gunman, and arrested three others.

In other operations in Iraq:

-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found a weapons cache in Baghdad yesterday containing 22 57 mm rounds. They also found a buried cache in Taji later that day with grenades and 5.56 and 7.56 mm rounds.

-- Iraqi forces seized a weapons cache yesterday in Salahuddin province that contained more than 215 munitions, including mortar and antiaircraft rounds, rockets and other explosives.

-- Northwest of Baghdad, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found a weapons cache that included three 122 mm high-explosive rounds Nov. 19.

-- A tip from a local resident led Iraqi police and coalition troops to a cache of mortar and artillery rounds Nov. 19 in Samarra.

-- Iraqi soldiers seized a weapons cache that included 130 mm rounds and 155 mm artillery rounds in the Lutifiyah area Nov. 18.

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