Bit From Iraq

AL-Hashimiyah, Iraq. December 3rd, 2005. SFC Anthony Abeyta of Bravo Company, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, meets with LtCol Mejia, the executive officer for the EL-Salvadorian Army Force Protection at Camp Charlie, who visited AL-Hashimiyah with the U.S. soldiers to go to a meeting with the city council. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photograph by LCpl Michael J O'Brien) (Released)

Major cache uncovered near Tuz

TIKRIT, Iraq – Just a week after a huge cache of mortars was uncovered near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, another large terrorist cache was discovered Tuesday morning near the neighboring city of Tuz.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, found two storage bunkers crammed with weapons near Forward Operating Base Bernstein, west of the city.

More than 400 rockets of various types and 80 mortar rounds were discovered in the bunkers. Mortars and rockets, along with IEDs, are the preferred weapons of terrorist against civilian populations and military forces because they allow them to conduct attacks and then run away from the launch sites without having to face Iraqi or Coalition Forces.

Seventy cases of small arms ammunition, 100 artillery fuses, and a dozen rocket-propelled grenade warheads were also stashed in the bunkers.

An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to inspect the weapons and conducted a controlled detonation to destroy the cache.

Another weapons cache was seized in Kirkuk Dec. 6, after police received a tip from a local resident. Rockets, mortars, tank rounds, anti-aircraft rounds and artillery fuses were taken by Soldiers from 1st BCT and an EOD team for disposal.

Iraqi, U.S. forces catch four suspected bomb makers

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Four suspected terrorists were detained during a joint operation conducted by Iraqi Security Forces supported by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Dec. 4 south of Baghdad in the Yusufiyah area.

Information gathered from an earlier mission led the Coalition Forces to the whereabouts of major contributors to anti-Iraqi attacks and terrorist activity.

When the Soldiers of Task Force Baghdad conducted a raid on an island on the Euphrates River Nov. 28, the troops detained two suspected terrorists, gained valuable intelligence, and uncovered three significant weapons caches consisting of 11 500-pound bomb shells, welding material, suicide vests and an improvised explosive device manufacturing area.

Two detainees provided information on two other locations that supported vehicle-borne IED and suicide vest production cells in the Yusufiyah area.

Based on this information, two simultaneous cordon and searches were conducted.

The combined efforts of the Iraqi Special Forces, supported by U.S. aircraft, resulted in the capture of four suspected terrorists and a significant weapons cache.

“Iraqi Army units are stepping up and becoming a very effective fighting force,” said Col. Todd Ebel, commander of 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Div. “Today’s destruction of these IED-making facilities is a great step in providing support to the upcoming elections.”

Citizens help U.S. forces take terrorists off streets

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Task Force Baghdad Soldiers captured four terror suspects and discovered a large weapons cache during a series of operations in the Al Rashid district Dec. 4.

U.S. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment conducted a raid in western Rashid based on information provided by local Iraqis. The raid resulted in the capture of two individuals.

In another mission, Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment conducted a cordon and search in eastern Rashid, resulting in the capture of two individuals and a sizable weapons cache. The weapons cache consisted of five AK-47 assault rifles, seven AK-47 magazines, six SKS automatic weapons, one Russian machine gun and 20 100-pound bags of aluminum sulfate.

Man’s best friend keeps Camp Victory safe

Story and photo by
Pfc. Joshua R. Ford
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office

CAMP VICTORY — Servicemembers from the Air Force, Army and Navy are protecting Camp Victory’s entry control points, not with weapons, but with their sense of smell.

Eighteen K-9s and their handlers attached to XVIII Airborne Corps, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, are on the job. The dogs sniff out explosives and identify car bombs, stopping terrorists before they can get onto Camp Victory.

“There are several types of explosive materials we are looking for out there,” said Army Sgt. William Brown, explosive dog handler, HHC, XVIII Abn. Corps. These explosive materials include C-4, dynamite and the not-so-common ingredients of other explosives.

The Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen train their dogs by conducting mock bomb sweeps with live explosives or taking them through a basic obedience course the handlers built.

“Our main reason for the basic obedience course is to challenge the dogs with unfamiliar surroundings, like having to jump through a window or run on narrow surfaces,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Leon Gray, explosive dog handler, HHC, XVIII Abn. Corps. “The course helps the dogs negotiate unusual surroundings.”

Since the handlers arrived in Iraq, they have learned a lot about each service’s method of training K-9s.

“Even though all the dogs have gone to the same school, each service has their own way of training the dogs and different ways of keeping records,” Gray said.

The dogs perform two main jobs.

“There are detection dogs and patrol dogs,” said Army Spc. Chris Tillman, explosive dog handler, HHC, XVIII Abn. Corps. Detection dogs are trained to sniff out illegal substances and explosive materials where patrol dogs are trained to track and attack the enemy.

Combined effort successful in two separate searches

TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Soldiers and Police along with U.S. troops, successfully conducted two separate operations that resulted in the capture 14 suspected terrorists early Dec. 8.

Operation Bulldawg Chariot, a joint mission with Soldiers from Iraq’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Army Division and 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, netted four suspected terrorists near Baqubah, located northwest of Baghdad.

A tip given by an Iraqi civilian led to the operation to nab the suspected terrorists who were responsible for harassing, threatening and intimidating local Iraqi civilian construction workers who are building a new prison facility.

In Khadasia, about eight kilometers northwest of Tikrit, Operation Able Rising Force unfolded with 10 suspected terrorists captured, including three who are wanted for IED attacks against local civilians and military. The operation consisted of Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, Iraqi Police from the area and Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers catch drive-by shooter

BAGHDAD – Two Anti-Iraqi Forces terrorists attacked a patrol from 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division around 9 a.m. Dec. 6.

The terrorists engaged the U.S. patrol with small-arms fire before driving away in their white sedan.

The patrol pursued the vehicle and when it stopped, one individual exited the vehicle with a 9-millimeter pistol in hand. Coalition Forces quickly detained both suspected terrorists.

While searching the vehicle, the patrol found $5,000 U.S. cash, two pistols, cell phones and 9-millimeter ammunition.

Iraqi forces, U.S. Army keep pressure on terrorists

BAGHDAD – Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers continued to scour the streets of Baghdad during operations Dec. 3-7, hunting down terrorists, disabling roadside bombs and seizing stockpiles of weapons.

Some of the success of these operations can be attributed to tips received from concerned citizens who approached Iraqi and U.S. forces with information about the whereabouts of terrorists and weapons caches.

While Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment were on patrol in south Baghdad Dec. 3, they were approached by two Iraqi citizens who said they knew where suspected terrorists were located. When the U.S. Soldiers went to the residence in question, they found six individuals — two of whom were known for terrorist activity. All six suspects were detained for further questioning.

Another patrol operating in west Baghdad Dec. 3 was stopped by an Iraqi woman who told the Soldiers about an improvised explosive device which had been planted in the area.

The woman pinpointed the location of the IED on a map for the Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment. When the patrol went to the location, the Soldiers found a 155-millimeter round with a radio device attached to it. An explosive ordnance disposal team was summoned to the site and the IED was rendered safe.

Soldiers from 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment observed an individual emplacing an IED in the Abu Ghraib district Dec. 6. Task Force Baghdad ground and air assets eventually cornered the individual, along with an accomplice, and detained the pair. Those suspects then positively identified another terrorist known for emplacing IEDs. All three suspects were detained for further questioning.

On Dec. 4, Soldiers from 1st Bn., 184th Inf. Reg. detained two suspects in the vicinity of a meat packing plant in southeast Baghdad after they were found with 20 bags of aluminum sulfate and weapons, including five AK-47 assault rifles, six SKS machine guns and an RPK rifle.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment on patrol in an area southwest of Baghdad reported taking small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire Dec. 3. A patrol from the Iraqi Army swept through the vicinity and detained three individuals suspected of firing on the American Soldiers. There were no U.S. casualties or damage to equipment in the incident.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers in west Baghdad reported receiving indirect fire Dec. 6. There were no casualties or damage as a result of the attack. Aviation assets quickly pinpointed the origin of the fire and found three mortar tubes which were then destroyed.

Meanwhile, other Task Force Baghdad aviation assets in the area spotted a suspicious vehicle and individuals unloading items and taking them into a nearby house. A ground forces unit later went to the house and detained three terrorists suspected of firing the mortars. The U.S. Soldiers also seized a small cache of a 60-millimeter round, a 130-millimeter round, a 120-millimeter round, a 60-millimeter mortar system and 10 projectiles.

Busy day in north central Iraq

TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops continued to make progress in the fight against terrorism in the north central region of Iraq.

Raids and patrols throughout the area resulted in 22 suspected terrorists being detained and the discovery of four weapons caches.

In an early morning raid near Ad Duluiyah, Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division captured seven suspected terrorists. The men were wanted for staging IED and mortar attacks against coalition forces in the area.

Five suspects were detained in Mansuriyah Al Jabal, a village near the city of Muqdadiyah, by Iraqi troops from 2nd Bn., 2nd Bde., 5th Div., working with U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

Five other suspects were taken into custody in a combined raid near Samarra by Iraqi troops from the Ministry of the Interior and Soldiers from the 3rd ID’s 1st BCT.

The biggest cache of the day was discovered by a patrol from the 1st BCT west of Balad. More than 100 hand grenades, 45 pounds of gunpowder, two pounds of plastic explosives, a preassembled IED and various other items were destroyed by an Explosives Ordnance Disposal team. Three suspected terrorists were detained at the site.

Two other caches in the same area yielded 23 mortar rounds, 300 artillery fuses, four blocks of plastic explosives, a mortar tube and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Both caches were destroyed by EOD teams.

A fourth cache was discovered by Soldiers from 2nd Bn., 2nd Bde., 5th Iraqi Army Div. in the village of Haroniyah near Muqdadiyah. The cache contained nine mortar rounds that had been converted into IEDs and four RPG launchers. Two men were detained in connection with the weapons.

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