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Iraqi, Coalition forces thwart attacks, discover weapons cache

July 12, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, July 12, 2005) – Coalition forces captured terrorists and thwarted attacks, discovered a weapons cache and assisted injured worshippers in and around Baghdad July 10.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers conducted a precision raid against a terrorist safe-house just west of Abu Ghraib Sunday. Two out of the 10 house occupants were identified as specifically targeted terrorists and were taken into custody for questioning.

“Today we took two known terrorists off the street and prevented another possible terrorist attack before it could even get off the ground,” said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesperson.

“Aggressive, offensive operations by Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces are taking the fight directly to the insurgents and degrading their capabilities all across Iraq.”

During a routine patrol in the Ameriyah District that same day, Iraqi and Coalition Forces noticed a black BMW parked in the driveway of a house that was typically unoccupied. Soldiers searched the house and found a bag of raw C-4 plastic explosives and four other containers believed to be filled with explosives.

Also hidden in the house were 20 hand grenades, one machine gun, a sniper rifle, an AK-47 assault rifle, a loaded 9 millimeter pistol with a silencer, and 500 to 700 rounds of ammunition. A team of explosives experts safely removed the munitions.

“It was a joint Iraqi and U.S. patrol. The Iraqi Soldiers took the lead,” said Capt. Mike Benoit of 1-69th Infantry. “They were aggressive and used their insight, which led us to the cache.”

An East Baghdad resident alerted Iraqi Soldiers that a terrorist was preparing to fire a rocket at around 8:30 a.m. July 10.

Coalition Soldiers responded immediately and cordoned off the suspected site. After searching the area, the Iraqi Soldiers discovered the rocket ready to be fired from an improvised launcher and safely disarmed the rocket launcher and took it back to their base. The terrorists were not seen or captured.

“The terrorists must have gotten scared by our presence. If he would have fired the rocket while we were in the area, he would have been captured by us,” said an Iraqi Soldier.

“The capture of the rocket before it was fired probably saved the lives of numerous civilians. The terrorists often miss their intended target causing death and destruction to innocent civilians,” he said.

Iraqi police officers and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers responded to a car bomb attack against a mosque in south Baghdad by securing the area around the shrine and evacuating injured worshippers to a local hospital.

The blast occurred at 10:30 p.m. and injured 15 people including at least one child.

“Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters have nothing positive to offer Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesperson. “They deliberately choose to strike civilian targets to maximize the number of dead and wounded. The violence of the insurgents steals from all Iraqis the chance for employment, prosperity and to worship peacefully.”



(Editor’s note: Information provided by several Task Force Baghdad news releases compiled by Army News Service correspondent Joanna Hawkins.)