Forces Detain Insurgents, Seize Weapons in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

Sept. 25, 2009 - Iraqi troop, aided by U.S. forces, detained suspected insurgents and seized weapons in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained 14 people yesterday after they attacked a U.S. patrol in Kirkuk province.

The soldiers were attacked while establishing security positions along a high-traffic route near the town of Shalikh in Rashad Valley district. Soldiers had been observing the attackers for suspicious activity.

Soldiers pursued the attackers and detained them. No injuries were reported.

Elsewhere, an Iraqi special weapons and tactics team, with U.S. advisors, served a warrant issued by the Qaim Central Investigative Court for the arrest of a suspected weapons dealer and smuggler Sept. 18 near Ramanah.

The SWAT team also found ammunition and several rocket motors on the property.

This successful operation by Iraq's security forces will disrupt the sale and purchase of illegal weapons in and around Qaim, officials said.

North of Mosul, Iraqi forces and U.S. soldiers seized a weapons cache Sept. 21 containing materials commonly used by insurgents to create homemade bombs.

U.S. forces discovered the cache in an abandoned home during a reconnaissance patrol. The cache contained grenades, a dual-tone multifunction board, hand-held radios, a blasting cap with wires and a video camcorder cassette.

(From Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)