Dismantling al-Qaeda in Iraq

Coalition works to dismantle al-Qaeda

Friday, 17 November 2006

BAGHDAD — Coalition Forces killed nine terrorists and detained nine suspected terrorists during a raid Thursday south of Yusufiyah, further diminishing the al-Qaeda in Iraq network.

As Coalition troops approached the targeted area, they called for people to exit the buildings. The troops noticed several armed men in a nearby wooded area maneuvering against them.

Friendly forces called in close air support to deal with the threat. Coalition aircraft engaged the terrorists with precision fire to reduce the possibility of collateral damage and ensure the safety of nearby civilians.

Several terrorists killed were wearing suicide vests.

Coalition Forces detained 18 suspected terrorists and destroyed a cache of improvised explosive device materials Wednesday while conducting multiple raids.

The raids targeted suspects in northern Baghdad and al-Anbar province believed to have direct ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist cells.  

Ground troops located and detonated a stockpile of automobile batteries believed to be stored for use in vehicle-borne IED attacks on innocent Iraqi civilians and Coalition Forces.

The raids are part of ongoing, coordinated efforts to eliminate al-Qaeda operations in the Baghdad region. Coalition Forces continue to prevent suicide bombings by killing and capturing terrorists, intercepting and destroying VBIEDs and suicide vests and continuously degrading al-Qaeda cells operating within Iraq.

 

In other developments throughout Iraq:

• More than 1,000 Iraqi Soldiers began conducting a military operation Nov. 15 to clear several villages of possible insurgents and unauthorized weapons near Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk.

• The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 13 security detainees from November 2 to 9, for various crimes including possession of illegal weapons, possessing false civil affair identifications, failure to renew resident identification and illegal border crossing.

 

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