Military

Night raids nab terror suspects in Baghdad

By Task Force Baghdad Public Affairs Office
October 18, 2005

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Oct. 18., 2005)— Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces captured 15 suspected terrorists in a series of pre-dawn combat operations conducted in and around Baghdad Oct. 18.

Three of the suspects taken into custody are thought to be bomb emplacers and another is believed to be a weapons dealer and terrorist cell financier.

The largest operation was carried out by Iraqi Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division. Shortly after midnight, the Iraqi Army Soldiers captured five suspected Anti-Iraqi Forces during a raid against a terrorist safe-house in the Adhamiyah district of central Baghdad.

In other combat operations, Coalition Forces detained six more terror suspects during raids and searches carried out in central and south Baghdad.

Citizens’ tips lead to arrests

At about the same time, Task Force Baghdad Soldiers from the 70th Engineer Brigade, acting on a local citizen’s tip, seized three terror suspects during a cordon-and-search operation in north Baghdad. The men are suspected of placing roadside bombs targeting Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition Forces and civilians in the area.

Another citizen’s tip helped Task Force Baghdad Soldiers capture a suspected weapons dealer and terrorist organization financier during a cordon and search of two houses in north Baghdad.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers seized a large weapons cache in west Baghdad Oct. 16., acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen.

After receiving the tip, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team went to the location the citizen described and detained three suspects at the cache site.

Soldiers nab weapons, explosives

Soldiers found a weapons cache consisting of 103 high-explosive rounds, 151 mortar rounds, six mortar tubes, 31 mortar fuses, five mortar base plates, two mortar tripods and a mortar sighting device.

The cache also contained two anti-tank weapons, an anti-aircraft machine gun, 10 sticks of dynamite, 19 rocket-propelled grenades, six hand grenades and various bomb-making materials. Additionally, Soldiers found one machine gun with a bipod mounting device, four rifles, sniper scopes, a silencer and 8,000 rounds of ammunition.

The unit secured the cache site and continued searching for more weapons.

The three suspects were taken into custody for questioning.

(Compiled from news releases from Task Force Baghdad Public Affairs Office.)