IA Captures foreign fighter facilitator
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BAGHDAD – Soldiers of the 7th Iraqi Army Division captured a suspected foreign fighter facilitator during operations with Coalition advisers Feb. 6 in the Al Qaim region, near the Syrian boarder.
The suspect is alleged to be gathering information about Iraqi Forces and Coalition Forces operations and providing it to foreign fighters. The man is also suspected of harboring foreign fighters in Iraq while they carry out insurgent activities in the area.
Minimal damage was done to the objective. No Iraqi civilian, Iraqi forces or Coalition Forces were casualties.
IA captures leader of bombing cell
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BAGHDAD – Soldiers of the 4th Iraqi Army Division removed another bomber from the streets of Iraq after capturing the suspected leader of an improvised explosive device cell during operations with Coalition advisers Feb. 6 near Taji, north of Baghdad. The suspect is believed responsible for coordinating and carrying out IED attacks against Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces convoys in the area.
The man is alleged to have carried out an IED attack against a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle in September which resulted in the death of one U.S. Soldier. He is also implicated in a more recent IED strike that killed three U.S. Soldiers Jan. 27.
The suspect is also believed to be involved in the abduction of innocent Iraqi civilians and using his residence as a place to interrogate and execute them.
There was minimal damage done to the objective. There were no Iraqi civilians, Iraqi forces or Coalition Forces casualties.
Iraqi Soldiers, U.S. troops find weapons cache near Abu Ghuraib
1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
CAMP TAJI, Iraq—Iraqi Army troops and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers
discovered a weapons cache in an industrial area north of Abu Ghuraib Feb. 3.
Iraqi troops with the 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and Soldiers from the
2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment were performing a joint patrol when the cache was
discovered.
The find yielded 250 81mm mortar rounds, 100 120mm mortar rounds and one
81mm mortar tube.
The Iraqi troops working in cooperation with the 2-5 Cavalry Soldiers are
searching for those responsible for the hiding the weapons.
Iraqi Police in Ramadi discover large weapons cache
Multi-National Force – West PAO
RAMADI, Iraq – Members of the Albu Obaid Iraqi Police station discovered one of the largest weapons cache in the last year while conducting dismounted patrols in eastern Ramadi Feb. 3.
The cache consisted of over 300 82mm mortar rounds, three 152mm artillery rounds, two bags of homemade explosives, two Katyusha 107mm rockets, in addition to other items which included a mortar base plate, a spool of copper wire used for detonating improvised explosive devices and various smaller caliber ammunition.
“The Coalition and ISF have discovered many weapons caches over the last six months, but none of this magnitude, said Army Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. “This represents about a six month supply of enemy mortar ammunition. The recent additions to the local Iraqi Security Forces have proven to be a tremendous asset in the fight against the terrorists in and around Ramadi.”
Since the beginning of January, the pace of cache finds by Iraqi Police and Emergency Response Units in the 1/1 AD area of operation has risen dramatically. In just two months, the Iraqi Police and the Emergency Response Units have found almost 600 mortar rounds of various sizes, 35 large artillery rounds and rockets, 15 IEDs and two missiles. The IPs have accounted for over 80 percent of the munitions discovered in this time period.
“I’ve been on multiple patrols and seen a lot of stuff, but the thing that excites me the most about this is that the Iraqis are stepping up to the plate on their own. I mean, we found over 60 caches last month of which 35 were found by the Iraqi Security Forces. This is the kind of thing that is going to get me home,” said SPC Stephen Steed, a 21-year-old Portland, Indiana native responsible for mentoring Iraqi policemen.
“The success of the cache discoveries by the Iraqi Police in the last month can be attributed to the increase of locally recruited Iraqi police officers getting out there beating the streets, looking for the bad guys and tips received from the local citizens throughout Ramadi,” said Major Eric Remoy staff officer for 1-1 AD. Our cache finds six months ago typically consisted of one or two small weapons caches per week. The strength of the Iraqi Police in the Ramadi area has grown approximately 1100 percent in the last six months. We are now finding caches at a rate of two caches per day, or a 600 percent increase.”
Theres a few recent (today and yesterday) news bits from the front. Enjoy.