Good News From Iraq -

** Lots of goodies to report, dead terrorist scum, weapons off the streets and not a jot of this will ever be shown on the BBC....

Six terrorists captured in raid on Ramadi safe house

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces captured six terrorists during a raid on an al Qaeda in Iraq safe house in Albu Bani near Ramadi Nov. 8

Acting on multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens, Coalition Forces converged on the terrorist safe house which apparently was used as an operational base to plan and conduct attacks on Iraqi security and Coalition forces in the Ramadi area.

During the raid, two terrorists were killed after engaging Coalition Forces.

Weapons cache discovered near LSA Anaconda

TIKRIT, Iraq – A patrol operating near Logistics Support Area Anaconda, southeast of Balad, discovered six separate weapons caches after observing an insurgent digging near a road Sunday afternoon.

The man spotted the patrol and tried to cover up the hole and walk away, but the patrol was able to stop him and check the area he was digging in, finding three separate caches. The Soldiers escorted the man to his home where three additional caches were found.

Among the items unearthed were more than 20 rocket-propelled grenades, four mortar rounds and two artillery shells.

The patrol called in an explosive ordinance disposal team which destroyed the weapons in controlled detonations.

Citizen’s tip leads U.S. Soldiers to bomb parts

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Acting on a tip from an Iraqi civilian, Task Force Baghdad Soldiers discovered bomb-making materials Nov 6. in the back yard of an Abu Ghraib farmhouse.

The tip led Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a unit from Fort Irwin, Calif., to five possible terrorist safe houses. The search began around 6 a.m. At noon, the Soldiers discovered cell phones and a video camera in a bucket buried behind the farmhouse.

This find led the unit to conduct a more extensive search of the area which netted several more items intended for improvised explosive device construction.

The Soldiers found one car battery, 10 cell phones with wires, four voltage regulators, one video camera, a ski mask, eight cell phones wired for IEDs, 15 feet of detonation cord, a washing machine timer, eight sticks of dynamite encased in rock plaster form, one 60-millimeter rocket, two 107-millimeter rockets, and plastic explosives.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers take enemy by surprise

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Speed and surprise gave Task Force Baghdad Soldiers the upper hand in fighting terrorists during operations in southern Baghdad Nov. 5-7.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment conducted a combat operation onto two river islands along the Tigris River Nov. 7. At the end of the day, the Soldiers found a weapons cache which included 100 rounds of 12.7-millimeter ammunition, one 57-millimeter rocket launcher, a six-tube mortar launcher and one 60-millimeter mortar round.

During an earlier mission on the evening of Nov. 5, the Soldiers detained three terror suspects in the town of Horajeb.

Two terrorists killed in recent air strikes identified

BAGHDAD, Iraq – As reported Oct. 31, Coalition forces acting on multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens, conducted a series of raids on suspected terrorist and foreign fighter safe houses to capture or kill terrorists operating in and near the towns of Karabilah and Ubaydi. During the raids, Coalition forces destroyed safe houses with air strikes using precision guided munitions.

Coalition forces can now confirm the death of two key al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist leaders who were killed during those air strikes. These terrorists operated in the Husaybah, Karabilah, Ubaydi, and Al Qaim region.

They are:

* Abu Umar, a senior al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist leader and foreign fighter facilitator who was the commander of several terrorist cells in the Ubaydi, Husaybah, and al Qaim region. Sources report that he had just replaced Abu Asil who was killed in a coalition air strike a few days prior. He assisted Abu Asil in the smuggling of foreign fighters in the to al Qaim region. He also directed, planned and executed many of the terrorist attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces, to include VBIED and IED attacks.

* Abu Hamza, was a senior al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist cell leader who was the commander of several terrorist cells in the Husaybah and Karabilah areas. Sources report that he was also a close confidant of the al Qaeda in Iraq military commander in Husaybah. He also planned and executed many of the terrorist attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces in the region, to include VBIED, IED, mortar and direct attacks. It was reported that he and his terrorist cells were also responsible for recent terrorist attacks against Camp Gannon, in Husaybah.

101st Airborne Soldiers find large weapons cache

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division discovered a large weapons cache during combat operations south of Baghdad International Airport Nov. 4.

Members of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment discovered the cache around 8 p.m.

The search revealed more weapons and munitions in a total of 18 different caches before concluding at 5 p.m. Nov. 5.

Three terror suspects were detained for further questioning.
The weapons cache included 90 82-millimeter mortar shells, 40 hand grenades, 22 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, eight RPG launchers, seven rockets, four 155-millimeter artillery rounds, four 60-millimeter mortar systems, three AK-47 assault rifles, two automatic grenade launchers, two mortar sights, two sacks of mortar propellant charges, two pipe bombs, one 120-millimeter mortar round, one case of 7.62-millimeter ammunition, one improvised rocket launcher, 800 grams of TNT, 300 feet of detonation cord, bomb-making materiel, 25 ski masks, and four sets of body armor with protective plates.

An explosives ordnance disposal team later destroyed the cache through controlled detonation procedures.

Check point nets car full of weapons

TIKRIT, Iraq – A platoon of U.S. Soldiers setting up a check point near Baqubah the evening Nov. 5 discovered numerous weapons in a vehicle that tried to break out of the cordon set up around the check point.

The Soldiers fired several warning shots at the vehicle, causing its driver to swerve into a ditch. The two occupants ran away.

Among the items left behind in the vehicle were 13 fragmentary hand grenades, pressure detonating wires commonly used for IED construction, and eight AK-47’s with a large amount of ammunition.

The vehicle was destroyed after the weapons were removed to prevent it from being used again by terrorists.

Operation Steel Curtain update

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq – Iraqi Army Soldiers and U.S. Marines, Sailors and Soldiers are in the third day of fighting along the Iraq-Syria border in the town of Husaybah.

The objectives of Operation al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) are to restore Iraqi sovereign control along the Iraqi-Syrian border and destroy the al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists operating throughout al Qaim region.

Iraqi Army Soldiers shot and killed three terrorists dressed in women’s clothing near the entrance to the safety zone established for displaced persons. The trio brandished weapons as they neared the checkpoint the Iraqi Soldiers were manning, but were unable to use them before being killed by the Soldiers. Iraqi Soldiers identified the terrorists as foreign fighters. The three terrorists were trying to hide among the women and children and gain access to the area for residents temporarily displaced.

Armed terrorists used a similar tactic at a police checkpoint Nov. 5 in the town of Buhriz, 35 miles north of Baghdad. While the terrorists posed as women, they killed six police officers and wounded many civilians.

Some Husaybah residents have sought safety from the fighting in a vacant housing district in Husaybah where the Iraqi Army Soldiers established facilities for residents temporarily displaced by the operation.

“In addition to urban combat operations, the Iraqi Army Soldiers are supporting humanitarian assistance operations in the western part of the city providing food and relief supplies for some 800 displaced civilians,” said Lt. Col. Christopher C. Starling, operations officer, Regimental Combat Team -2. “At a checkpoint yesterday, outside the city, residents offered information to Iraqi Army Soldiers leading to the capture of individuals and weapons caches.”

Iraqi Soldiers and Marines clearing the city continue to be attacked by small groups of terrorists. This morning the body of a dead terrorist was found in a school. The corpse was booby trapped with a hand grenade and set to explode when the body was moved. Also, a fully armed and functional rocket-propelled grenade launcher was found in the same classroom.

There have been four incidents of al Qaeda in Iraq-led terrorists using mosques and at least one school to launch attacks on Iraqi Army Soldiers and Marines. Terrorists are using sensitive and critical infrastructure as protection from Coalition and Iraqi Army counterattacks. Though, Marines use proportionate force in responding to attacks it does not diminish their right to self defense from any attacks.

The combined force, 1,000 Iraqi Army Soldiers including local Sunni Soldiers recruited from the al Qaim region and 2,500 Marines, Soldiers and Sailors are clearing the city, house by house, discovering weapons caches, terrorist propaganda and improvised bombs. The arms, munitions, bomb-making material, artillery and mortar shells converted to homemade bombs found in these cache sites continue to validate suspicions that terrorists used al Qaim as a safe haven.

“Iraqi Soldiers are fighting side by side with their Marine counterparts in the streets and on the rooftops,” said Starling.

Iraqi Army units partnered with Marines from Regimental Combat Team-2 will provide a joint presence in Husaybah after the successful clearing of the city. Previous operations between Iraqi Army units integrated with Marines and Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Marine Division have established a persistent joint presence in the cities of Hit, Haditha, Barwana, Haqlaniyah, Sa’dah, Rawah, Amiriyah and Ferris.

Thirty-six terrorists are confirmed killed during the operation. There are no reports of civilian casualties.

The offensive is part of Operation Sayaid (Hunter), designed to deny al Qaeda in Iraq the ability to operate in the Euphrates River Valley and to establish a permanent security presence along the Syrian border.

Local Iraqis visit shrine at Forward Operating Base Warrior

TIKRIT, Iraq – More than 40 local Shia Turkomans marked the end of Ramadan by praying at a Shia shrine and cemetery located on Forward Operating Base Warrior near Kirkuk Nov. 1.

The visit was arranged by chaplains from the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division after receiving a request from a local Shia Turkoman imam.

The day was viewed as a way to build trust and understanding between the local community and the recently arrived Soldiers of the brigade, according to Chaplain (Maj.) Clyde Scott, the 1st BCT chaplain, who hopes to conduct future visits.

The site, which is filled with burial mounds and tombstones thousands of years old, had been off limits to the local citizens under the reign of Saddam Hussein.

Weapons cache found

TIKRIT, Iraq – A Task Force Band of Brothers patrol near Forward Operating Base Anaconda discovered two weapons caches containing timers, watches and other items commonly used in constructing IEDs early Nov. 5.

The seizure also yielded nearly 30 large caliber artillery shells, more than a dozen rockets, five rocket-propelled grenade launchers, a mortar tube, a machine gun and small arms ammunition.

An explosive ordinance disposal team collected the weapons and conducted a controlled detonation of the shells and rockets.

Also construction began on a new sewer system in Mosul (11/1). Also new water systems in Al Dayer (11/2), Karadah (11/3), and Kirkuk (11/6). A new substation feeder broke ground in Altrush as well (11/4).

** One people, one destiny, one religion....

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