THE TENSION: Troops in Iraq Nab 'High-Value Target' During Night Raid

A U.S. Army cavalry scout from rushes toward a house during a night raid Narhwan, Iraq, March 16, 2008. During the raid, soldiers of Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, cleared three houses and detained four individuals, including a "high-value target." (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Hutto.)

Capt. Jared Albright, commander of Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, searches a building during a night raid in Narhwan, Iraq, March 16. During the raid, Troop B cleared three houses and detained four individuals, including a man designated as a "high-value target." (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Hutto.)

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2008 (AFPS) -- U.S. soldiers captured an individual designated a “high-value target” for his role in several improvised explosive device attacks during a raid in Narhwan, Iraq, March 16.

Coalition forces also suspect the individual of smuggling weapons and explosives to several criminal groups throughout Iraq.

“The target was a really bad guy,” said 1st Lt. James Self, a platoon leader in Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. “It’s a very good thing that he is off the streets. His capture not only makes Narhwan a safer place, it makes Iraq, as a whole, safer.”

During the raid, scouts from the unit, currently attached to 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, cleared three houses during and detained three men for questioning, in addition to the target.

Soldiers uncovered a small cache in the target’s home containing an AK-47 assault rifle, two shotguns, a bayonet and a small quantity of small arms ammunition.

“Everything went perfectly,” said Capt. Jared Albright, Troop B commander. “Our guys did everything according to plan and it went exactly as we rehearsed it.”

The earlier this month, Troop B detained another high-value target in a raid outside of Narhwan.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve done this,” said Staff Sgt. Denis Pettitt, the troop’s operations noncommissioned officer. “On average, we’ve been capturing about one high-value target a month, so our guys know what do.”

Troop B is mainly comprised of scouts serving their first deployment, but the troop’s performance hasn’t suffered due to lack of experience.

“Our new guys have performed well,” Pettitt said. “Part of that has to do with our NCOs. They keep our guys calm and have done a good job getting them ready for those situations. They stay calm and haven’t gotten a big head about our successes.”

(Story by Spc. Ben Hutto, USA, Special to American Forces Press Service.)