THE TENSION: OIF Summary, Jan. 12, 2009: Troops in Iraq Nab Criminal Suspects, Find Weapons

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2009 -- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Police detained suspected criminals and seized weapons in operations in Baghdad yesterday and Jan. 10, military officials reported.

In operations yesterday:

In the city’s Rashid district, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers arrested a suspected insurgent with a fake identification card, bomb-making materials and CDs that allegedly contained insurgent plans.

Iraqi and U.S. soldiers served a warrant for the arrest of a suspected weapons trafficker with alleged ties to criminal organizations in Rashid district’s Hadar community.

In Rashid district’s Saydiyah community, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers served warrants for the arrest of two Iraqis suspected of serving as informants for criminal elements.

In northwestern Baghdad, Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers confiscated a cache yesterday that contained 10 projectile fuses, propellant, small-arms rounds, two 130 mm high-explosive projectiles and a 122 mm high-explosive projectile. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers seized an unexploded artillery round in Rashid district’s Shurta community. The patrol transported the round to a nearby national police headquarters for disposal by an EOD team.

In Jan. 10 operations:

In Rashid district’s Saha neighborhood, a tip from a local civilian led Iraqi National Police and U.S. soldiers to a suspected criminal wanted for acts of violence, murder, extortion and kidnapping in connection with known terrorist groups operating in Baghdad.

In Rashid district, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles from three different houses and moved the weapons to their headquarters.