Military

Soldier Killed in Accident; Air Strike Destroys Terrorist Safe House

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2005 – One U.S. soldier was killed in a non-combat-related accident at about 6:30 p.m. local time today at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, military officials reported.

The soldier, assigned to the 56th Brigade Combat Team, was taken to a coalition forces medical treatment facility, where he died of his wounds. The name of the soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Elsewhere, coalition forces conducted an air strike against an al Qaeda terrorist safe house in the western city of Jaramil Sept 7, further disrupting terrorist sanctuaries and activities in Iraq.

Abu Ali, a senior al Qaeda facilitator of foreign fighters, was believed to be in the house at the time of the strike. Ali has been linked to other al Qaeda terrorists and facilitators in the Hit, al Qaim, Karabilah and Husaybah. Additionally, he had al Qaeda connections in the Mosul area, to include Abu Talha, who was captured in June, and Abu Khallad, who was killed in August.

Abu Ali is also known to have al Qaeda connections in Syria and Saudi Arabia, where most of his foreign fighters were recruited. The foreign fighters he funneled into Iraq, and subsequently sent to various terrorist groups, were used to attack Iraqi citizens, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces.

Coalition air assets, after delivering the precision-guided munitions that destroyed the safe house, observed numerous large secondary explosions, indicating a large cache of weapons that was also destroyed during the air strike.

The type of munitions used and the time of the air strike were selected to decrease the risk to civilians in the local area, officials said.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2005/20050907_2641.html