THE TENSION: Troops in Iraq Kill 1, Detain 10 Suspected Terrorists

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed an enemy fighter, detained 10 suspected terrorists and found weapons during recent operations throughout Baghdad, military officials said.

Coalition troops killed one man and detained five others allegedly connected to al-Qaida. The individuals are believed to be involved in assassinations, bombings and financial conspiracies for the group against coalition and Iraqi forces. Various weapons were confiscated during the operation, officials said.

In operations yesterday:

Iraqi soldiers captured four suspected terrorists who allegedly attacked coalition forces in the city’s Rashid district. The individuals ambushed the U.S. police training team with small-arms fire, officials said.

Coalition and Iraqi forces discovered multiple weapons caches in separate operations throughout the city. All together, they found 40 rounds of various munitions filled with explosives, 11 oxygen tanks filled with explosives, multiple artillery rounds, two rocket launchers, body armor, propaganda paraphernalia, and bomb-making material.

In Baghdad’s Sadr City area, U.S. troops from the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team and Iraqi forces found a weapons cache consisting of more than 20 mortar rounds and rockets intended to be used for homemade bombs, officials said.

In operations Aug. 12:

U.S. soldiers in southern Baghdad captured an alleged Iranian-trained “special groups” member wanted for illegal weapons trafficking.

Iraqi and coalition forces found numerous weapons caches and large amounts of currency during operations throughout Baghdad’s Rashid district. They found 26 AK-47 assault rifles, 18 rockets, 12 RPGs with launcher, a sniper rifle and bomb-making materials. They also discovered more than $75,000 in Iraqi dinars, $5,600 in U.S. currency, $245 in Indian rupees and $140 in United Arab Emirates dirhams, officials said.

In Sadr City, Iraqi soldiers found a substantial weapons cache hidden in an underground water tank. They found 13 Chinese-made mortars, seven Iranian-made mortars, five Yugoslavian-made mortars, six grenades, three rocket propellants, two rockets, seven pounds of explosive material, 100 blasting caps, 50 feet of detonation cord, a 5-pound bag of propellant, four automatic machine gun barrels, and more than 2,000 rounds of various small-arms ammunition, officials said.