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Soldiers stop IED suspects near Kirkuk

March 20, 2006

KIRKUK, Iraq (Army News Service, March 20, 2006) – Iraqi Police and Bastogne Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division captured two terrorists Saturday after an improvised explosive device detonated on a combined patrol near Kirkuk, damaging one of the patrol vehicles.

The Bastogne Soldiers from two 101st Airborne battalions detained 46 suspected insurgents during numerous cordon and search missions with Iraqi Security Forces in Kirkuk and Hawijah, Iraq, last week.

IED suspects nabbed

In the IED attack Saturday, Soldiers and policemen avoided injury, officials reported. The troops immediately searched the area, capturing the two suspects.

Mariwan Rahim, who came up positive in a test for explosive residue, and his brother Ahmed Rahim are in custody for terrorist activity.

“Terrorist efforts to try and destabilize this region are not being tolerated by the local populace,” said Maj. Greg Bishop, spokesman for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, currently stationed in Kirkuk.

Province leaders ban terrorism

“Nearly 300 leaders throughout this province have banded together, signing a statement condemning terrorist activity and swearing to do everything in their power to end the violence,” Bishop said.

Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team have been training and working alongside Iraqi Security Forces since arriving in northern Iraq last November.

With engagements occurring almost on a daily basis, Bastogne Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, killed two terrorists, wounded one, and detained 25 suspects last week.

“The combination of aerial and ground patrols is paying huge dividends,” said Capt.Tim Meadors, an operations officer from the 1st Battalion.

Four spotted placing IED

In one incident, aviators spotted four men emplacing an improvised explosive device next to a truck parked alongside a road. Two of the men jumped back in the truck and headed to a nearby village, while the other two took off on foot toward yet another nearby village.

The pilots radioed their sighting to commanders on the ground and then followed the men until ground forces arrived at both locations. In the end, Bastogne Soldiers detained 11 military-aged males for questioning.

2-327th nab 21 suspects

While Soldiers of 1st Battalion have been capturing those emplacing IEDs, Bastogne Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment have conducted numerous combined cordon and searches with Iraqi Police in Kirkuk, resulting in the detention of 21 suspected insurgents.

These searches, leading to the confiscation of IED materials, weapons, and false documentation, have also provided Soldiers with additional information on many different insurgency cells (groups).

“Most detainees are leading to more suspects,” commented Sgt. 1st Class Lawson Adkins, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the intelligence shop for 2nd Battalion. “Eventually we would like to degrade the cells to become non-existent.”

Although the two battalions have different missions, they work toward the goal of reducing the insurgency threat for the civilians in Iraq.

“Hopefully we will see a drop in activity and reduce the current threat,” Adkins stated.

(Sgt. 1st Class Paul Schultz and Spc Barbara Ospina provided the information for this report.)