THE TENSION: Forces in Iraq Kill 1, Detain 11, Find Weapons

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2008 -- Coalition forces killed one militant, detained 11 suspected terrorists and found numerous weapons caches during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said.

Coalition forces captured five suspected terrorists in separate operations today in Taji, Biaj and Anbar province.

Intelligence gathered from a June 14 operation resulted in U.S. troops detaining three suspected al-Qaida operatives in Taji. Another suspected terrorist was captured in Biaj, about 80 miles southwest of Mosul, for allegedly harboring terrorists, officials said.

In Anbar, coalition forces arrested one man for his alleged association with an al-Qaida cell. The cell is believed to be responsible for a bombing yesterday that killed three U.S. Marines and 20 Iraqi sheiks, officials said.

In operations yesterday:

Coalition forces killed one terrorist, detained three others and found weapons during operations about 60 miles south of Mosul in Sharqat. The individuals are believed to be connected to a terrorist bomb cell leader in the area. Some of the weapons discovered were high-powered rifles, a machine gun, hand grenades, pistols and explosive-triggering devices, officials said.

U.S. soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division captured three suspected terrorists, including an Iranian-backed “special groups” cell leader, in Baghdad’s Rashid district. The suspects allegedly are responsible for numerous attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces in the area, officials said.

Soldiers from the 1st Iraqi Army Division uncovered several weapons caches during operations in Baghdad’s Sadr City district. They found 19 artillery rounds, four rocket-propelled grenades, four AK-47 assault rifles, two roadside bombs designed to pierce armor-hulled vehicles, two sniper rifles and various bomb-making materials, officials said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces confiscated multiple weapons caches during operations northwest of Baghdad and in the New Baghdad district. They found more than 25 various rifles and machine guns, three mortar rounds, three anti-tank mines, a rocket-propelled grenade, a surface-to-air missile and bomb-making materials, officials said.

Iraqi soldiers operating in Diyala province found more than 1,000 pounds of explosives, 10 anti-tank mines, four rockets, three homemade bombs and various bomb-making materials, officials said.

Tips from local civilians led U.S. troops from the 10th Cavalry Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team to discover a weapons cache in western Baghdad’s Ameriyah neighborhood. The cache contained 122 mortar rounds, 17 rocket-propelled grenades, eight rockets, three sniper rifles, a machine gun, TNT explosives, mortar tubes and various bomb-making materials, officials said.