THE TENSION: OIF Summary; Jan. 2, 2009: Troops in Iraq Detain Suspects, Find Weapons

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2009 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained numerous terrorism suspects and seized stockpiles of illegal weapons in various operations this week, military officials reported.

In Dec. 31 operations:

Iraqi security forces detained five people after an indirect-fire attack southwest of Kut in Wasit province.

Iraqi soldiers found a cache in Baghdad's Ameriyah neighborhood that contained homemade explosives, a detonation cord and blasting cap.

Acting on a resident’s tip, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers recovered two rocket-propelled grenades in western Baghdad.

U.S. and Iraqi soldiers uncovered a cache north of Baghdad that contained three 107 mm projectiles.

In Dec. 30 operations:

Iraqi National Police, supported by coalition forces, detained two men who allegedly were involved in a recent bomb attack against a checkpoint in Baghdad’s Aamel community manned by the “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group.

In Baghdad’s Saydiyah community, Iraqi soldiers, supported by coalition forces, found three rocket-propelled grenades, three fuses, a battery and an unexploded 40 mm round. Later, Iraqi and coalition soldiers also found 15 mortar fuses in a vacant house in the area.

Iraqi and U.S. soldiers operating west of Baghdad seized a large weapons cache that included various rockets, mortars, grenades, fuses, a partially built bomb and a variety of bomb-making materials. Later, soldiers from the same units seized another cache in the area. The second cache contained 23 mortars.