Iraqi, Coalition Forces Arrest Would-be Bombers, Seize Munitions

American Forces Press Service

Jan. 25, 2009 - Iraqi soldiers and police, "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group members and U.S. soldiers seized several weapons caches and arrested two suspected roadside bombers during raids conducted throughout the Baghdad area yesterday, military officials reported. The caches contained hundreds of rounds small-arms ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, boosters, artillery rounds, hand grenades, an anti-aircraft machine gun with ammunition, improvised explosive devices, explosives, timers, AK-47 assault rifles, rockets, fuses, blasting caps, and land mines. The two suspects were caught in the act of emplacing roadside bombs.

In other operations yesterday:

-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers confiscated several AK-47s during operations in Baghdad's Rashid district.

-- Sons of Iraq members found an improvised explosive device during a search in the Ghazaliyah neighborhood of northwest Baghdad.

-- Iraqi soldiers discovered several rockets during a combat patrol in the Adl neighborhood in northwestern Baghdad's Mansour district.

In Jan. 23 operations:

-- Iraqi and coalition forces killed a suspected al-Qaida insurgent and captured another during operations in Hawijah, west of Kirkuk.

-- Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers found several weapons caches and unexploded ordnance during operations in Baghdad's Rashid district. The caches contained pistols, homemade bombs, AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, artillery and mortar rounds, rockets, anti-tank mines, and propane tanks.

-- Sons of Iraq members thwarted a group of suspected al-Qaida operatives from murdering their leader while he played soccer in the Mahmudiyah community. Two of the three attackers were wounded by the Sons of Iraq leader, who pulled out and fired his pistol in self-defense. One of the Sons of Iraq members was wounded in the incident. Some of the attackers fled the scene, and the Sons of Iraq leader emerged unharmed. The incident is under investigation, officials said.

-- Iraqi police and U.S. servicemembers teamed up to disarm bombs and seize weapons during operations in Baghdad's Rashid district.

-- U.S. servicemembers and Iraqi police coordinated to disarm a bomb found in Baghdad's Arab Jabour community.

-- Iraqi police and U.S. troops confiscated eight AK-47s and a pistol in the Shurta community.

-- Iraqi police and U.S. troops confiscated another AK-47, a bag of machine-gun rounds and an old bayonet during a search in the Saha community.

-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers teamed up to find several weapons caches of munitions, rocket launchers, hand grenades, and other ordnance in the Baghdad area.

In other news, Iraqi police discovered a weapons cache on a rooftop of a building in the New Baghdad district Jan. 22. The cache contained mortar rounds with fuses, some heat-seeking rockets, pistol parts, mortar tubes, and rocket and grenade launchers.

Also, an Iraqi special weapons and tactics squad seized a weapons cache during a Jan. 21 operation conducted north of Tikrit. The cache contained mortar and artillery rounds, fuses, and some mortar tubes.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)