THE TENSION: Forces in Iraq Kill 4, Detain Dozens

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2008 -- Coalition and Iraq security forces killed four enemy fighters and detained dozens more during several operations over the past few days, military officials said.

Coalition forces killed four terrorists and detained 18 suspected terrorists yesterday and today during operations around Baghdad targeting al-Qaida in Iraq bombing networks.

Coalition forces conducted a series of operations near Balad, targeting the financier behind a bombing network in the Tigris River Valley. At one location today, coalition forces came under attack by small-arms fire from a nearby rooftop. They returned fire and killed four armed men. At other locations yesterday and today, coalition forces detained 16 additional suspected terrorists.

Coalition forces captured a suspected key leader in the al-Qaida in Iraq media network. Another operation netted a man believed to conspire directly with an al-Qaida in Iraq leader in Baghdad who oversees the terrorist network in the city.

In Mosul, coalition forces detained 12 people today, including two wanted men believed to oversee criminal attacks for the al-Qaida in Iraq network, officials said. About 130 kilometers southwest of Mosul, coalition forces found and destroyed three terrorist hideouts and a cache of weapons used by foreign terrorist facilitators near Biaj.

In operations yesterday:

Iraqi special operations forces captured four suspected cell members for the Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaida in Iraq, in eastern Mosul. Officials say the cell reportedly is responsible for homemade-bomb and mortar attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces.

Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers operating in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad detained a man suspected of attacks against coalition soldiers and Iraqi security forces. They also located a cache containing bomb-making materials. They also seized grenades, various sized rounds, and artillery fuses in and around Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces, with advice from coalition forces, started clearing operations in Amarah following a four-day amnesty period for weapons turn-in. During the amnesty period, artillery rounds and a machine gun were turned in to Iraqi security forces, and a militia headquarters was seized after the discovery of a large weapons cache containing hundreds of mines, mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, and four homemade rocket launchers.

Eight weapons caches were found in Baghdad’s Sadr City district.

In operations June 18:

Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained two men possessing a roadside bomb designed to pierce armor-hulled vehicles, fuses, anti-tank mines, rocket-propelled grenades, a 60 mm mortar, and a pair of two-way radios in the Aamel neighborhood.

After responding to a tip, soldiers arrested two triggermen waiting to detonate a roadside bomb in the Zubaida area.

In the Hadar community, soldiers detained a man suspected of numerous roadside-bomb attacks, weapons trafficking, and the murder of innocent Iraqis. They also uncovered a rocket-propelled grenade round with launcher, hand grenades, and about 650 7.62 mm rounds while conducting a combined patrol in the Bayaa neighborhood.

Iraqi national police saved a kidnapped child while patrolling the New Baghdad security district of eastern Baghdad. The soldiers investigated the source of the child’s screams and found the boy, who claimed he had been kidnapped. Two men were detained for the kidnapping. In the first suspected kidnapper's house, police found and seized a weapons cache consisting of armor-piercing roadside bombs, RPG launchers, an anti-tank mine, various rifles, a pistol, rounds of various sizes, C-4 explosives, and TNT with blasting caps.

Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized various munitions throughout Baghdad.

Iraqi national police found various ammunition rounds, blasting caps and several belts of RPK ammo in Baghdad’s West Rashid district. In another operation, soldiers found rockets, mortars, armor-piercing roadside bombs, an AK-47, anti-personnel RPGs, three rockets, an RPG propellant, bomb-making materials, anti-tank mines and radios.