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Terrorist Safe House Destroyed; Police Station Attack Thwarted

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2005 – Coalition forces detained five terrorists and seized a large weapons cache today when they raided a suspected al Qaeda safe house northwest of Qaim, Iraq, military officials reported.

The cache consisted of weapons, ammunition, mortars and bomb-making materials, officials said.

Intelligence sources and tips from local citizens led coalition forces to the location. Coalition aircraft, using precision guided munitions, destroyed the safe house and weapons cache after coalition forces left the scene. Elsewhere in Iraq, Iraqi police and coalition forces stopped short a coordinated attack on the Khalis Iraqi police station Oct. 20, in Diyala. One Iraqi police officer was killed and two children were wounded.

Shortly after noon, a semitrailer approached the Khalis traffic circle and failed to slow and stop as directed. Guards fired on the vehicle, which then veered to the south. Its payload of explosives detonated when it hit a brick wall, killing a police officer.

A short time later, four mortars were fired at the traffic circle, seriously injuring two children in a nearby field. The children were taken to an Iraqi medical facility for treatment.

Officials credited the prompt actions of the guards with keeping the truck-bomb from getting closer to the station, where it could have caused extensive casualties.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news releases.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005/20051021_3123.html