Troops in Iraq Capture Suspects, Find Weapons

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 11, 2008 - Coalition soldiers and Iraqi security forces captured suspected criminals and terrorists, disarmed a roadside bomb and found enemy weapons stockpiles in recent operations, military officials reported.
In operations today:

-- Iraqi National Police and U.S. infantry soldiers detained a man officials described as a suspected criminal leader.

-- Al-Qaida in Iraq leadership was the target of an operation in Baghdad that resulted in a wanted man's capture. The suspected terrorist, who surrendered himself to coalition forces, is believed to be associated with al-Qaida in Iraq leadership. During a concurrent operation near Ramadi, west of Baghdad, forces captured an alleged associate of the wanted man. He, too, identified himself to the assault force and was detained with another suspect.

-- In Mosul, a suspect was detained during an operation targeting the city's al-Qaida in Iraq bombing networks.

In operations yesterday:

-- In two synchronized operations near Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, forces captured a wanted man who reportedly is connected to al-Qaida in Iraq leaders in the area. A second operation netted another suspect believed to be associated with the network.

-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found a roadside bomb in northwestern Baghdad's Kadhamiyah district. U.S. soldiers received a tip from an Iraqi citizen about the bomb, and an Iraqi army explosive ordinance disposal team was called in to remove it.

-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found weapons caches in and around the Iraqi capital. The first, in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad, included 48 mortar primers, three rocket fuses and eight mortar charges. Later, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers working together seized 67 81 mm projectiles and 35 57 mm projectiles in Baghdad's Sab Al Bour area.

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