Iraq Offensive Leaves 10 Terrorists Killed

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2008 (AFPS) -- Ten terrorists were killed and 16 captured in operations across Iraq today, military officials reported.

Northeast of Samarra, coalition forces targeted an alleged al Qaeda in Iraq leader for the Kanan village. In the raid, forces killed eight terrorists, including the wanted individual. Seven suspects were detained.

Also in Samarra, forces captured three suspected terrorists. One of the suspects allegedly is a leader for the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Samarra. Another is believed to be a direct associate of al Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership.

North of Tarmiyah, forces captured an alleged associate of the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Baghdad’s northern belt. The suspect reportedly is responsible for providing information on coalition operations in the area for use in planning attacks. Two others were detained.

In Baghdad, forces captured another alleged associate of the northern-belt network. The suspect is believed to have direct ties to the senior leader of the network and to terrorists involved in a car-bombing network in Karkh.

Coalition forces captured a suspected Iranian-supported “special groups” facilitator and killed an armed criminal in Baghdad this morning. The target reportedly arranged for criminal militia members to receive training in Iran.

In operations north of Tal Afar, forces killed one suspected terrorist and wounded another. The wounded suspect was detained.

In northeastern Mosul yesterday, coalition forces captured a suspect believed to be the replacement for the former Saudi al Qaeda in Iraq senior leader Abu Yasir al-Saudi, also known as Jar Allah, who was killed by coalition forces Feb. 27. Three other suspects also were caught. Also yesterday, coalition forces detained three suspects east of Tikrit while looking for an alleged weapons facilitator wanted for smuggling and kidnapping operations.

In other recent Iraq operations, coalition forces detained Hajji Muhammad Shibl, an alleged top-tier criminal special groups leader, March 5 in the West Rashid district in southwestern Baghdad. Hajji Shibl is wanted as a key financier for criminal special groups who murder Iraqi civilians and security forces, officials said.

Iraqi security forces and “Sons of Iraq,” a citizen’s security group, detained four suspected terrorists March 5 in Baghdad.

Also on March 5, Sons of Iraq led coalition forces to an al Qaeda in Iraq torture house and prison in northern Zambraniyah, and members of the Sons of Iraq turned two weapons caches over to soldiers in Arab Jabour in two separate incidents the same day. Forces recovered six 120 mm projectiles, 20 22 mm anti-aircraft rounds, and 300 heavy machine gun rounds.

Citizens in Arab Jabour unearthed a large weapons cache and turned it over to soldiers March 5. The cache, loaded in a truck, held 111 57 mm projectiles and 22 60 mm projectiles. Each was rigged with detonation cord and packed with homemade explosives.

Also in Arab Jabour, local residents and Sons of Iraq turned over four weapons caches to soldiers in separate operations March 4. The caches contained five 120 mm projectiles, four liters of homemade explosives, four pressure plates, three propane tanks, one 60 mm mortar and four 57 mm projectiles.

Iraqi police recovered another large cache in a house south of Iskandariyah on March 4. The cache held 165 1-pound blocks of C-4 explosive, 19 rocket-propelled grenades, five RPG launchers, a 60 mm mortar tube, 25 107 mm high-explosive rockets and 23 rocket fuses, 10 120 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, 84 60 mm and 60 81 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, along with six 60 mm mortar fuses.

Sons of Iraq working with coalition forces around Hawr Rajab and Zambraniyah discovered two caches March 4. In Hawr Rajab, five 5-gallon barrels of nitric acid were recovered. In Zambraniyah, three pressure plate improvised explosive devices, three 57 mm projectiles, and three pressure plate initiators were recovered.

Another cache was discovered March 4 in Hawr Rajab. The cache held five rocket-propelled grenade warheads, a mortar tube, four AK-47 magazines, a 60 mm mortar, two RPG launchers, two boxes of cell phones, 70 drums of 7.62 mm ammunition and various electronic components.

A weapons and munitions cache was uncovered near a suspected terrorist training camp south of Tal Afar on March 4. Forces recovered more than 700 pounds of homemade explosives, 11 120 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, two AK-47 assault rifles, 10 82 mm Chinese high-explosive mortar rounds, 100 pounds of mortar propellant charges, and two Belgian anti-personnel landmines.

Forces detained three insurgents and discovered two weapons caches in Adwaniyah on March 3. Forces recovered five grenades, a quarter pound of TNT, 5 pounds of plastic explosives, two RPG charge tubes, 28 mortar round charges, 33 bags of gunpowder, 5 pounds of unknown bulk explosives, five shotgun shells, two AK-47 assault rifles, two PKC machine guns, two blasting caps, four timers, and 5 ounces of acetone peroxide, a primary high explosive.

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

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