Iraqi citizens thwart car bomb attack
By Maj. Russ Goemaere
November 17, 2005
BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Nov. 17, 2005) -- Alert Iraqi neighborhood watch members in east Baghdad stopped a potential car bomb attack Nov. 15.
Shortly before 6 p.m., local residents noticed a suspicious vehicle getting fuel from a roadside gasoline dealer.
When the neighborhood watch members approached the driver, he pulled a pistol and pointed it at them and then attempted to flee.
“The citizens tried to stop the suspect but were unsuccessful,” said Oday Fakhan, the leader of the neighborhood watch in the area.
As he fled, the would-be car bomber attempted to highjack a get-away vehicle at gunpoint, but failed in his first attempt. The driver of another vehicle, a taxi, allowed the suspect to enter and took him to a neighborhood in Baladiat, a suburb in east Baghdad. Iraqi Police were called in and secured the area around the suspicious vehicle.
The taxi driver returned to the scene after dropping off the suspect.
“The taxi driver told us that during the ride, the suspect used his cell phone to call his uncle to inform him that the operation had failed,” Fakhan said. Iraqi Police interviewed the taxi driver and got a description of the suspect. A search is ongoing.
An Iraqi Police explosives ordnance disposal team was called to the scene to investigate the suspicious vehicle and found it was wired with five 155-millimeter artillery rounds and other explosives embedded in the trunk and doors. The Iraqi EOD team deactivated the explosives. The car and explosives were moved to the Rusafa Police Station for further investigation.
Iraqi, U.S. forces secure suicide car bomb site
Iraqi Security Forces and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers responded to reports of a suicide car bomb detonating in east Baghdad shortly before 7 a.m. Nov. 15. At least four Iraqi civilians and two Iraqi Police were killed in the terrorist attack which took place outside a restaurant. Eight other civilians were wounded.
Task Force Baghdad Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, joined by Iraqi Police secured the site.
More IED munitions uncovered
During combat operations in south Baghdad, Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division discovered a weapons cache Nov. 15.
As they conducted a cordon and search of a farm, Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment uncovered a cache of 22 60-millimeter mortar rounds and 18 fuses.
The 2nd Bn., 502nd Inf. Soldiers secured the site and an explosives ordnance disposal team performed a controlled detonation on the IED munitions.
(Editor’s note: Several articles were combined by ARNEWS staff member Sgt. Ken Hall for this report. Contributors included Sgt. 1st Class David Abrams, Task Force Baghdad Public Affairs, Maj. Russ Goemaere, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO, 101st Airborne Division.)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
