Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Release # 03-06-002

CAMP DOHA, Kuwait -- Coalition Forces continue to aggressively patrol Iraq to eliminate crimes against people and property, rid populated areas of weapons, ammunition and explosives, and stop the black market trade in fuel and other commodities. Coalition Forces also continue to conduct joint security patrols with Iraqi police in their efforts to increase the professionalism of the police force and prepare them for their role in a self-governed Iraq.

Coalition Activity:

Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment raided a site in An Najaf yesterday evening to capture illegal weapons. The Marines captured several AK-47 rifles.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) raided a suspected black market site near Mosul based on information given to them by a former Iraqi soldier. They detained two people and seized eight AK-47 rifles, a pistol, an Iraqi Army uniform and a briefcase containing 37 identification cards, two old cell phones and a manual on how to read maps.

Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division raided a site near Tikrit yesterday in which they captured two Ba'ath Party officials and seized weapons, ammunition and documents.

Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division raided a site near Karbalayesterday. They detained 10 individuals. Three of the detained individuals include the brother-in-law, the father-in-law and the driver of a former regime official the Coalition has been seeking. They also captured several cases of small arms ammunition.

Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division raided two houses in Al Quja yesterday suspected of containing two senior Ba'ath Party members. They captured the two Ba'ath Party members along with two others. All four members are being held for questioning. The soldiers also seized passports, identification documents, maps and videotapes.

Soldiers from the 2d Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) detained several individuals and seized illegal weapons in two different incidents in Mosul late Friday evening. In one case, they stopped three men who were carrying grenades and AK-47 rifles near the main police station. At about the same time, another patrol stopped two men who were seen carrying AK-47 rifles near the Division Civil-Military Operations Center. In each case, they detained the men for questioning and confiscated their weapons.

Police Activity in the Last 24 Hours:

Coalition Forces conducted 8 raids and a total of 2,454 patrols throughout Iraq. Of those patrols, they conducted 230 joint Iraqi and Coalition patrols. They also detained or arrested 94 individuals.

Recent Police Activity:

A patrol of 549th Military Police Company soldiers observed a vehicle making a quick U-turn on a street in Baghdad recently. They stopped the vehicle for violating the curfew and searched it. They confiscated an AK-47 rifle and ammunition. They released the driver and occupants after questioning them. They also turned the weapon and ammunition into a U.S. military weapons collection point.

An Iraqi man reported to Iraqi police and soldiers from the 615th Military Police Company manning a police station in Baghdad recently that his ex-wife, her brother and three unknown Iraqi men entered his home and took his two daughters at gunpoint. Iraqi and U.S. military police, and an interpreter, went to the home of the male suspects, but no one was there. Iraqi police are working with a local judge to best determine how to locate the two daughters. The Iraqi police continue to investigate the matter.

An Iraqi police officer reported to Iraqi police and soldiers from the 615th Military Police Company in Baghdad recently that an Iraqi man wanted to turn in a vehicle that had been given to him by a senior member of the former regime. Iraqi and military police conducted an investigation and discovered that the man was on the Coalition's Wanted List. They quickly apprehended the suspect at his residence and took him to a Coalition facility for questioning. They searched his house and found Ba'ath Party documents.

An Iraqi woman reported to Iraqi police and soldiers from the 527th Military Police Company manning a Baghdad police station that two unknown men and a woman had kidnapped her recently. They took her to a house where the two men forced her to have sex while the woman took photos of the act. She managed to escape and reported the incident to her family. Her family brought her to the police station to report the crime. The victim identified the woman, whom Iraqi police detained. The Iraqi police took the victim to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. They are investigating the incident.

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