Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32641
Troops Capture 12 Terror Suspects; Bombers Target Iraqis
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured 12 suspected terrorists today, and bombers continued to target Iraqis over the last few days, military officials reported.
In Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood, Iraqi and coalition forces captured a suspected criminal tied to explosively-formed projectile facilitation networks.
The suspect is believed to be involved with several violent extremist groups responsible for attacks against the Iraqi people and coalition Forces and facilitating the movement of EFPs into Iraq, officials said.
Near the Syrian border, coalition forces captured six suspected terrorists with alleged links to al-Qaeda and the smuggling of foreign fighters into Iraq. Five more suspects with alleged involvement in foreign fighter smuggling were captured in a raid north of Karmah.
Meanwhile, bombers targeting Iraqis have continued to strike. An explosion occurred at a Shaab Ur market last night. Coalition officials had no immediate information on how many people were killed or wounded, but said the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division responded to provide medical assistance and to secure the area. The market was closing down at the time of the attack.
Two car bombs killed four Iraqi police officers and an Iraqi civilian and wounded 16 others in southwest Baghdad yesterday. Initial reports indicate that the policemen and Iraqi civilian died when a bomb detonated near a patrol at about 8 a.m. near the Jihad neighborhood. Iraqi soldiers and police were investigating a suspicious vehicle when it detonated, officials said. Later, a second car-bomb detonated in Bayaa, wounding seven Iraqi civilians, including several children.
Shortly after the attacks, Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad troops established checkpoints and began to evacuate the wounded to local hospitals, while also searching for other possible car-bombs in the area.
A vehicle exploded between a market area and a mosque south of Baghdad on March 28, killing five people and wounding 20 others. Iraqi soldiers responded to the explosion and assisted in the evacuation of the wounded to the al-Hillah hospital. They also found an unexploded 82 mm mortar round was found.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32644
Chlorine Gas, Child-Borne Bombs Show Enemy’s Barbarity
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2007 – Al Qaeda’s use of chlorine gas against civilians and use of children as suicide bombers highlights the terror organization’s barbarity, a Joint Staff spokesman said here today.
Al Qaeda extremists in Iraq are using chlorine canisters and chlorine-carrying trucks to attack civilian targets, said Army Maj. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, Joint Staff deputy director for operations.
On March 23, Barbero said, Iraqi police foiled an attack in Ramadi that could have caused catastrophic casualties. The police intercepted a truck carrying 5,000 gallons of chlorine and two tons of explosives.
On March 28, two chlorine-laden trucks exploded outside the Fallujah military operations center. The attack injured 14 U.S. troops and 57 Iraqis.
“I strongly believe that this use of chlorine should not be dismissed simply as a new tactic or an emerging trend,” Barbero said. “Chlorine is a poison gas being used on the Iraqi people. Before these attacks, the last time poison gas was used on the Iraqi people was by Saddam Hussein.”
Al Qaeda in Iraq and related Sunni extremists are using this weapon against the Sunni population of Anbar province. “We have Sunni extremists attacking innocent Sunnis with a poison gas,” Barbero said.
Coalition officials see the escalation as a response to the Iraqi people’s growing sentiment against the terror organization. Al Qaeda is trying to intimidate the people of the province, Barbero said.
Its actions show that al Qaeda in Iraq is not an “honorable resistance” aimed at “driving out the infidels,” the general said.
The terrorists continue to use children to launch attacks. On March 28, Iraqi police went after a suspicious vehicle in Haditha. “As they drove past a 12-to14-year-old boy riding a bicycle, a bomb in the boy’s backpack detonated, killing him instantly,” Barbero said.
“These acts – the use of poison gas and the use of children as weapons – are unacceptable in any civilized society and demonstrate the truly dishonorable nature of this enemy,” he said.