Soldiers from B Battery, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, raid a house in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)
November 02, 2005
ZAFARANIYA, Iraq -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers raided the homes of two suspected Al Qaeda conspirators and took the men into custody in south Baghdad Nov. 1.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team detained the two suspected members of a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda who were on a reconnaissance assignment in Baghdad. Both were in possession of Yemeni passports.
"They admitted to being from Yemen," said Capt. Matthew Wheeler, 1st Bn., 9th FA intelligence officer. "There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence against the detainees, and that will solidify as we examine the evidence more closely…The capture of these two guys is another solid step forward against Al Qaeda in Iraq."
After the detainees were transported to a military internment facility, Soldiers and Iraqi Public Order Brigade troops searched several large fields nearby.
"It’s possible insurgents use the field as a staging area for (car bomb) attacks, so we just wanted to check it out," Wheeler said. "The POB added a lot of combat power to the search force, and it was good training for them."
By Spc. Ben Brody - 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
Sgt. Luke Roach, a driver with 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, keeps an eye on residents during a raid in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)
Command Sgt. Maj. Tony Smith, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, examines evidence gathered during a raid in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)
With the aid of a military police working dog, Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery search a field in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)