OIF Summary, April 14, 2009: Forces in Iraq Nab Wanted Individuals

Dispatches from the Front:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Kirkuk, Iraq, April 14, 2009 -- Seven criminals in several villages near Kirkuk were detained through cooperation between Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, April 7.

The individuals were suspected of engaging in insurgent activity and various other crimes and were detained based on outstanding warrants.
One of the detained suspects is believed to be among the squadrons top ten most wanted targets on their high value individual list, said Capt. Martin Ellison, an intelligence officer for 4th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt.

“This mission provided an opportunity to help support the Iraqi Security Forces as they support the rule of law,” said Lt. Col. Andy Shoffner, the 4th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt commander.

For many of the villagers of the town, this was one of the first times they have seen IA, IP and U.S. military forces working together.

“It’s a positive thing for the people of these towns—who often feel isolated—to see the Iraqi Security Forces,” Ellison said.

It’s good for the residents of the town to see the police working with the IA and capturing bad guys who are often responsible for threatening and endangering them, Ellison added.

According to the Security Agreement signed by the U.S. and Government of Iraq on January 1, ISF are responsible for security in their assigned area of operations with the U.S. assisting in a support role.

“This operation was ISF-led from planning to execution,” said Shoffner.

“They demonstrated their capability to support the Government of Iraq without a heavy U.S. presence.”

Our role was to provide enablers such as aviation and military working dogs, as well as securing an outer cordon, said Ellison. The ISF were responsible for both the inner cordon, which was managed by the IA, and executing the warrants, which were conducted by IPs, Ellison said.

“The IA and the IP are working extremely well together,” said Shoffner.

(Report from a Multinational Corps Iraq news release.)

Tags: DOD, War, Military, GWOT, terrorism, al Qaeda, al Qaida, Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF, United States, U.S., coalition, Iraq, Dispatches from the Front, Multinational Force
Global Tags: Washington DC, News and Politics, News, Politics, Current Events, Current Affairs, Life, Culture, Buzz, Tension