Multinational Forces Round Up Insurgents, Caches

AFPS

Multinational Force Iraq reports continued, robust activities to capture suspected insurgents and uncover caches of illegal weapons.

In raids near Duluiyah early Friday, soldiers of the 4th Cavalry Regiment participating in Operation Powder River rounded up 25 suspected insurgents, including a man believed to be behind improvised explosive device attacks in the area. The soldiers confiscated five AK-47 assault rifles, 400 to 500 rounds of ammunition, two spools of wire, and bomb-making materials that included 15 100-pound bags of ammonium nitrate, diesel fuel and soap found in his home.

Iraqi soldiers confiscated weapons, ammunition and bomb-making equipment in a northeastern Mosul cordon-and-search operation Jan. 13. The soldiers found 24 RPG warheads, RPG launchers, 18 sticks of dynamite, 10 mortar rounds, 120 mortar fuses, 200 blasting caps, detonation cord, hand grenades and other bomb- making equipment, and detained two people.

During joint intelligence-driven operations conducted with Iraqi security forces on Jan. 13, 1st Infantry Division soldiers found caches of weapons near Bayji and Baqubah. Near Bayji, soldiers found 81 mortar rounds, two rifle grenades, three PG-7 rockets, two OG-9 rockets, 35 artillery rounds, bags of propellant, three RPG launchers, two machine guns and nearly 1,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. The cache near Baqubah included 282 40 mm anti-aircraft rounds, 22 cases of 21 mm armor-piercing rounds, 67 AK-47s and 24 82 mm mortar rounds.

Task Force Danger soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, raided a home Jan. 13 looking for a man wanted for assassination attempts on Iraqi security forces. The suspect was not home. Later, however, Iraqi police arrested him when he tried to file a complaint about the raid.

In a joint raid near Kirkuk Jan. 13, Task Force Danger soldiers and Iraqi police detained three men and seized a rifle, three AK-47s, eight 30-round magazines, two magazine pouches and insurgent propaganda.

A 1st Infantry Division patrol that had come under small-arms attack detained five people, including two of their attackers, during a search of six homes near Baqubah on Jan. 13. A third attacker is believed to have escaped through a nearby mosque. Iraqi police searched the mosque with no success, but did confiscate an RPG launcher and round.

Three suspected insurgents were detained near the site of an improvised explosive device attack on a 1st Infantry Division patrol near Muqdadiyah late Jan. 13. The three tested positive for explosives residue and were turned over to Iraqi police.

Iraqi citizens in Fallujah led a U.S. Marine patrol to weapons in the southern part of the city Jan. 12. A citizen reported he had found a machine gun next to his house.

As the Marines retrieved the weapon, another resident approached them and reported a cache near his home. The second man led the Marines to a buried cache that consisted of four RPG rounds and two launchers, two 57 mm rockets, a machine gun, a mortar tube, two gas masks and numerous magazines of ammunition. The weapons and munitions were collected for future demolition.

During a five-hour series of Jan. 12 raids in central Baghdad, Task Force Baghdad soldiers found four weapons caches and detained four suspected insurgents. The weapons and munitions included a bag of .50-caliber ammunition, seven AK-47s, 35 82 mm mortar rounds, a mortar plate, five fuses, a 60 mm mortar round, three hand grenades and 2.3 kilograms of synthetic explosive.

At a northern Baghdad checkpoint Jan. 12, Task Force Baghdad soldiers found two rifles, ammunition, explosives and a large amount of U.S. money in a vehicle. The driver tried to speed away, but hit another vehicle, flipped over and was detained by the soldiers.

Thirty-one suspected insurgents were detained in a joint operation near Kirkuk on Jan. 12. The operation, which was conducted in Bajawan, was designed to kill or capture 17 known insurgents. All 17 were captured along with 14 other suspects. Soldiers seized three cell phones, three compact disks, $2,500 in U.S. currency, three AK-47s, a bolt-action rifle, a 9 mm pistol and 18 vials of atropine. Four caches also were discovered in the operation. They included detonation cord, two 60 mm mortar systems, six 60 mm rockets, an RPG launcher and eight RPG rounds.

While patrolling the city Jan. 11, Iraqi police reported to their Joint Coordination Center that a suspicious vehicle was parked near the Tikrit provincial police station. As the police were preparing to investigate, a concealed improvised explosive device detonated. Officials believe the bomb detonated prematurely, missing its intended target due to the aggressive patrolling of the Iraqi policemen. Four Iraqi police officers were injured.

(Compiled from MFINR)