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BAGHDAD — Soldiers from Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (SCR), currently attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, found two weapons and explosives caches while on patrol in the Ramaniyah neighborhood, Nov. 5. Buried under the bleachers of a soccer stadium in two locations, the Soldiers found (45) blocks of C-4 explosive, (33) mortars, almost (2000) rounds of ammunition, a rocket-propelled grenade and launcher, (2) sniper rifles, (2) protective vests and (1) grenade. Capt. Marcus Melton, commander of ‘Pale Horse’ Troop of the Vilseck, Germany-based 4-2 SCR, said the cache find was quite uncommon...

CAMP TAJI — Concerned Iraqi citizens recently fed tips to Soldiers from the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Cavalry Division, which led to four weapons caches and two detained suspects during multiple operations north of Baghdad. Troops from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to the 1st BCT, acting on a tip from a neighborhood watch volunteer, recently uncovered an improvised explosive device (IED) cache near the town of Sab Al Bor. The cache included five complete IEDs and 12 incomplete IEDs. Also found were 20 munitions of varying sizes, 100 pounds of homemade explosive,...

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces seized multiple weapons caches near Tuwaitha Sunday. Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Regiment, who are currently attached to 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment conducted Operation Destroyer Strike based on information gathered from local citizens. The operation was a part of Operation Marne Torch, being conducted by Multi-National Division-Center in efforts to eliminate insurgent sanctuaries southeast of Baghdad. “In that area there are a lot of people frustrated with sectarian violence and al-Qaeda,” said U.S. Army Capt. Troy Thomas, a staff officer with 3-1 Cav. Regt. “They are just fed up with it.” U.S. Army...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2007 – Coalition forces detained 40 suspected insurgents and discovered large weapons caches this week during raids throughout Iraq, military officials said. Coalition forces detained 28 suspected terrorists yesterday during raids at several foreign terrorist safe houses across Iraq. One senior al Qaida IED coordinator and a weapons dealer in Mosul were among those detained, and in Ramadi ten suspects were detained for their alleged association with foreign terrorists. Elsewhere, nine suspected terrorists were detained and a cache of weapons was destroyed in Yusufiyah. The cache contained AK 47 assault rifles, anti-tank mines, mortar switches and...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2006 -- Marines assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5, rescued one hostage and uncovered two partially buried caches yesterday while conducting search-and-knock operations here, military officials reported. "By rescuing this gentleman and capturing the kidnappers, it shows the Iraqi people we do care for them, their safety and their future," said Marine Lt. Col. William Seely, the battalion commander. "I am extremely proud of those Marines. The Marines saved a life and reunited a family. It just doesn't get any better." After receiving intelligence from reliable sources, the Marines raided a house and...

BAGHDAD, Oct. 15, 2006 – U.S. soldiers continue to find multiple weapons caches, some with improvised explosive devices, for a seventh day as part of Operation Commando Hunter. The soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, seized 21 caches Oct. 13, bringing the total to 78 caches seized in the area located near Yusufiyah, 20 miles southwest of Baghdad. The 21 additional weapons caches consisted of three blocks of dynamite, 21 120 mm mortar rounds, five 60 mm mortar rounds, 80 7.62 mm rounds, an AK-47 assault rifle, three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, five...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2006 – Soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad’s 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, seized a total of 30 weapons caches last week in the southern Baghdad area, U.S. military officials reported. The caches comprised large quantities of assault rifles, machine guns, ammunition and a wide assortment of explosives and bomb-making materials. The most significant find within the caches were four aircraft bombs, believed to be 500 pounds apiece. The munitions were intended for building a massive makeshift bomb to be used in Baghdad, officials said. Other items in the find included...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2006 – U.S. soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad have found three weapons caches and captured six suspected terrorists in and around Baghdad since yesterday. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 89th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, found a large weapons cache during a dismounted patrol southwest of Baghdad around 2 p.m. yesterday. The cache consisted of 100 155 mm artillery rounds with trip wires, 1,000 7.62 mm sniper-rifle rounds, two burlap bags containing rockets, and an unknown amount of bomb-making materials. Earlier yesterday, soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team,...

WASHINGTON, Sep. 4, 2006 – U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 found hundreds of weapons recently during Operation Rubicon in Mushin, Iraq, west of Habbaniyah, U.S. officials reported. The Marines, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment and 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, seized more than 500 mortar rounds, nearly 100 artillery rounds, more than 130 rocket-propelled grenades, an excess of 120 grenades, 22 mines, 10 mortar tubes, 20 rifles and machine guns, 18 sets of body armor and various other items including binoculars and bayonets. “This area was definitely an insurgent stronghold,” said Cpl. Brandon M. Stair, 25, a team...

WASHINGTON, Sep. 3, 2006 – An Iraqi Army unit caught a mid-level leader of an illegal militia group during an early-morning Aug. 31 raid in southeastern Baghdad, according to Multinational Corps Iraq officials. The Iraqi soldiers, accompanied by coalition advisers, were specifically looking for the militia’s chieftain, officials said, noting that he is believed to be responsible for inciting sectarian violence, fear and instability through acts of intimidation and murder. He also was wanted for authorizing the acquisition and use of heavy weapons and improvised explosive devices employed in attacks on Iraqi citizens and coalition troops. No civilians or Iraqi...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2006 – Coalition forces recovered three weapons caches Aug. 23 while searching three compounds in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, U.S. military officials reported. The caches consisted of rifles, a machine gun and ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade ammunition, a mine detector and a Taliban banner and literature. Serviceable equipment will be turned over to the Afghan security forces for their use, and an explosive ordnance disposal team will deal with the unserviceable equipment, officials said. Marijuana also was found in one of the compounds. "The weapons found in Paktika will no longer be a threat to the lives of Afghan...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2006 – U.S. soldiers in Iraq seized several large weapons caches and detained eight terrorist suspects in operations yesterday. Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team seized a large weapons cache during a cordon-and-search operation in northern Baghdad shortly before 1 p.m. The weapons cache included 21 AK-47 assault rifles, 55 magazines of 7.62 mm ammunition, 2 PKC machine guns, a Russian sniper rifle, tens of thousands of rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, a fragmentary grenade, four jihadist propaganda magazines, and a martyrdom recruitment poster. Earlier yesterday, soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry...

WASHINGTON, August 1, 2006 – Iraqi and coalition forces captured and killed several terrorists and found multiple weapons caches over the past week, U.S. military officials reported today. Coalition forces captured five terrorist suspects without incident during raids in southwestern Baghdad yesterday. Grenades, a rifle, ammunition magazines, and an assault vest were found at the raid sites. The suspects are alleged associates of a terrorist leader linked with attacks against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi and coalition troops. Reports indicate that the leader had been attempting to obtain rockets for a future attack, officials said. The raids are another example of...

FUHUYLAT, Iraq (July 24, 2006) -- Marines from 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, rescued three hostages and uncovered a large weapons cache, including a fully-assembled vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, during Operation Spotlight. The intelligence-driven operation was conducted alongside Iraqi Army soldiers from 2nd and 4th Brigades, 1st Iraqi Army Division. The three hostages were personal assistants of Dr. Rafa Hayid Chiad Al-Isawi, an Iraqi government official in Baghdad. They were held by al-Qaeda insurgents for 27 days. “We are extremely pleased we were able to recover these Iraqi citizens,” said Col. Larry D. Nicholson, Regimental Combat Team 5’s commanding officer....

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2006 – Several Iraqi civilians were killed and injured during two July 7 terrorist attacks, and multiple weapons caches were found last week, military officials in Iraq said. Terrorists fired four mortar rounds at an open field in the northern Baghdad district of Khadimiyah on July 7, killing four Iraqis and wounding 38 children. Iraqi children frequently use the field as a playground, officials said. Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, responded to the scene and assisted in the evacuation of the wounded and dead to a local hospital. In a separate incident,...

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2006 – Coalition and Iraqi forces have detained nine suspected terrorists and discovered numerous weapons caches over the past several days, U.S. military officials reported. Iraqi police from 8th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, along with soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad's 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, detained seven suspected terrorists and discovered three weapons caches during a search in Baghdad's Doura neighborhood today. The caches included rifles, ammunition, 82 mm mortar rounds, blasting caps, suicide bomber propaganda, a 122 mm artillery round, a rocket-propelled grenade, grenade rockets, unknown rockets, plastic...

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2006 – In separate incidents in Iraq, U.S. soldiers discovered a large weapons cache May 30 and captured 10 suspected terrorists May 23, military officials reported today. Soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad's Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a large weapons cache and ammunition aboard a wheat dump truck northwest of Baghdad May 30 at about 6 p.m. Soldiers had stopped the truck May 9 and discovered seven fuses, 15 mortar tips and wire commonly used in roadside bombs. However, it wasn't until May 30, while the unit...

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2006 – Iraqi police and coalition forces killed an insurgent in Samarra, Iraq, yesterday, and U.S. soldiers destroyed two weapons caches, U.S. military officials said. U.S. soldiers from the 978th Military Police Battalion were on a combined patrol with Samarra police when three insurgents started shooting at them from a sedan. The patrol returned fire, killing one of the occupants and disabling the car. The other two insurgents fled on foot. An artillery round was found in the vehicle. Samarra authorities confiscated both the shell and the car. In other news, coalition forces located and destroyed a...

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2006 – Coalition forces killed more than a dozen enemy fighters in Afghanistan's Helmand province and, in joint operations with Afghan forces, destroyed weapons caches in Kabul, Kunar and Ghazni provinces April 29, military officials reported today. A coalition patrol saw 15 to 20 men carrying AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled-grenade launchers moving with the apparent intent to set up an ambush, officials said. After positively determining the activity as enemy operations and confirming no civilians were in the vicinity, the patrol engaged and killed the enemy fighters. Coalition forces reported no casualties or damage. "Afghan armed...

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2006 – A U.S. military commander met with an Afghan governor in northeastern Afghanistan April 23 to discuss coalition activities in the area, U.S. military officials said. Task Force Spartan Commander Army Col. John Nicholson met with Nangarhar province Gov. Gul Agha Sherzai at the governor's residence in Jalalabad, the province's capital to discuss topics ranging from border security and poppy eradication to regional reconstruction and economic transformation, officials said. Nicholson also had a meeting with civic leaders and mullahs April 22. The leaders shared the allies' commitment to ridding northeast Afghanistan of terrorism, officials said. "We'll...

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2006 – Coalition forces detained a dozen suspected terrorists today and yesterday, and uncovered large weapons caches around Baghdad, officials in Iraq reported today. Coalition soldiers detained three Iraqi men and an Iraqi woman today while conducting combat operations near Abu Ghraib. The woman was allegedly attempting to hide about 50 blasting caps under her clothing when detained. Coalition troops also confiscated several AK-47 assault rifles, a pistol and a sniper rifle. The incident remains under investigation. Yesterday, eight suspected terrorists were detained during a combat patrol south of Baghdad. Soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad's 2nd Battalion,...

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2006 – Coalition forces in Iraq killed two suspected terrorists and captured several others, and found numerous weapons caches over the past two days, U.S. military officials said. As coalition troops approached a Baghdad safe house yesterday, two suspects located in an adjacent courtyard opened fire. Coalition forces returned fire, killing one man and detaining another. Coalition forces then searched the house, detained two more men and found a pistol and a rifle, along with ammunition for both weapons. The man who was killed was later identified as a retired officer who served in the Iraqi air...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, April 14, 2006) – In the Tigris River valley, Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered four weapons caches during a combined operation April 13. Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. 22nd Infantry Regiment conducted a two-phase search in southern Baghdad April 10. During the first phase of the operation, Iraqi Soldiers found pre-made roadside-bombs encased in concrete. In the second phase, the Iraqi and MND-B Soldiers air assaulted into the area and found additional caches. The caches from both phases contained rocket propelled grenade rounds, machine guns, mortar rounds, landmines,...

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2006 – Afghan and coalition troops continue to find and dispose of weapons caches throughout Afghanistan, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials reported. In Kunar province today, coalition forces discovered a cache of 7.62 mm rounds, 81 mm rounds and a rocket-propelled grenade. Last night in Kandahar province, Afghan National Army and coalition forces discovered another weapons cache. Elements of the Afghan National Army's 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 205th Corps, were searching a compound along with coalition forces in the village of Pirgadam in Kandahar province when they discovered the cache. It included rocket-propelled grenades and materials to...

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2006 – U.S. and Iraqi forces discovered multiple weapons caches and detained five suspected insurgents over the past week, U.S. military officials in Baghdad announced today. Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers unearthed a significant weapons cache over a three-day period on an island on the Euphrates River. Beginning April 5, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a weapons that contained 82 mm rounds, 120 mm rounds, rocket-propelled grenade rounds and launcher, hand grenades, 55-gallon drums of TNT, 55-gallon sacks of nitrate, bundles of detonation chord, AK-47 rounds, 1,500 meters...

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2006 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized multiple weapons caches south of Baghdad yesterday and April 5. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found a weapons cache using a metal detector yesterday. The cache contained Sabo penetrators, boxes of .50-caliber ammunition and high-explosive artillery primers. On April 5, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a weapons cache while on patrol. The cache consisted of 82 mm shells, 7.62 mm rounds, 82 mm mortar rounds, 60 mm mortar rounds and other...

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2006 – Iraqi and U.S. soldiers captured a terrorist cell leader, and more weapons caches have been found and destroyed, military officials reported. Officials at Forward Operation Base Kalsu said soldiers from 4th Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, conducted the main assault effort to capture the terrorist March 26 in the town of Haswa, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. U.S. soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, provided outer cordon security, officials said. The suspected cell leader and six others were captured. No...

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2006 – U.S. soldiers discovered four weapons caches in separate operations throughout Iraq March 24 through today, military officials in Iraq reported. Soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad's 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, discovered a large weapons cache while conducting a search today. The cache contained mortar rounds and fuses. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found a weapons cache March 25 while conducting a patrol southeast of Iskandariyah. The cache consisted of hand grenades, grenade fuses, non-electric blasting caps, a partial timer, 122 mm artillery rounds, accelerant rods,...

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2006 – A combined U.S.-Iraqi patrol detained a terrorist near Kirkuk yesterday, and U.S. soldiers captured two improvised-explosive-device triggermen near Balad, Iraq, March 23, military officials in Iraq reported. In other action, U.S. soldiers found two weapons cache south of Baghdad yesterday, and Iraqi soldiers detained a suspected terrorist and uncovered a weapons cache in Baghdad March 23. In Kirkuk, soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, detained a terror suspect yesterday after Bastogne soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, discovered an IED during a combined combat patrol. The combined patrol...

HADITHA DAM, Iraq (March 24, 2006) -- Iraq’s roadways are a bit safer, thanks to a platoon of Marine combat engineers here. Marine combat engineers from Company C, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, have discovered more than 500 weapons caches in the area, the most discovered by a single unit in the massive western-part of Al Anbar Province. The unearthed caches, found over the past six months during the unit’s deployment to Iraq, contained a variety of explosives and ordinance, ranging from bullets, to anti-tank mines and artillery and tank rounds. The explosives are used by enemy forces to make roadside...

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, March 20, 2006) – At least 11 caches were discovered and more than 60 suspected insurgents detained last week during Operation Swarmer, the airborne insertion into southern Salah Ad Din province, near Samarra. Coalition Forces encountered an IED along one of the roads in the area Saturday and one vehicle was damaged. No troops were injured in the attack, Multi-National Force-Iraq officials reported. Iraqi Army troops and their Coalition partners continued to clear the objective area northeast of Samarra Sunday. Enemy caches captured thus far yielded significant amounts of weapons and IED-making materials. Included in...

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2006 – U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces in recent days have continued to detain suspected insurgents and to find and destroy weapons caches, military officials reported. Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and Iraqi security forces in the last two days detained several insurgents and confiscated materials useful in building roadside bombs. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, and Iraqi police searched a house and found more than 300 false identification cards, including Iraqi police IDs. During the search, an Iraqi man came to the house to see the owner....

March 13, 2006 BAQUBAH, Iraq (Army News Service, March 13, 2006) – More than 50 insurgents were apprehended and 37 weapons caches were seized during raids by Iraqi and U.S. troops throughout Central Iraq March 3-12. 20 insurgents detained in raid 20 suspects were detained and a huge cache was discovered when Iraqi army and Coalition forces conducted a joint raid on a suspected anti-Iraqi forces’ hideout in Baqubah, March 10. Soldiers from the 2nd and 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division working with Coalition troops captured the suspected AIF safehouse. The cache contained: • 15 155mm rounds...

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2006 – U.S. soldiers discovered four weapons caches in a four-day period in areas outside of Baghdad, officials said. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a weapons cache March 8 near the Euphrates River, south of Baghdad. Army Pfc. Jason Chambers, of B Company, was occupying an observation post when he noticed something out of place in the distance. After carefully inspecting the area, he and another soldier discovered the cache, consisting of roadside bomb-making materials. Chambers and the soldier moved away a safe distance, notified their...

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2006 – Iraqi and coalition forces detained eight suspects today in a joint operation in Baghdad. The men are suspected of kidnapping, manufacturing car bombs, and financing and supporting terrorists, officials said. Four men were detained at the Al Khayr Mosque Complex, identified as a possible al Qaeda safe haven, and the others were detained from sites raided during the operation. Iraqi forces led the joint operation and discovered several rooftop fighting positions, AK-47s and Molotov cocktails. In other news, over an 11-day period, U.S. and Iraqi servicemembers together have discovered 30 hidden weapons caches in Baqubah,...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, March 8, 2006) – Suspected terrorists who have been known to engage in ‘murder-for-hire’ assassinations were captured in Coalition operations Feb. 26. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, Company B, 10th Mountain Division had been conducting a routine inspection of vehicles in western Abu Ghraib. During a search of a suspicious vehicle, troops discovered two known murderers of Iraqi civilians. The men were carrying rifles and contracts for the murder of other Iraqis. A day prior, C Company troops acted on a tip from an Iraqi citizen and found a...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2006 – U.S. and Iraqi troops have stepped up their patrols in Iraq's Baghdad and Babil provinces, and thanks to assistance from ordinary Iraqis, they've found and defused numerous roadside bombs, mine fields, and weapons caches, U.S. military officials in Iraq reported. The stepped-up patrols are designed to provide a safe environment for ordinary Iraqis, officials said. Iraq has been wracked with demonstrations and violence because of the recent terrorist bombing of the Askariya shrine in Samarra. The Iraqi government responded to this violence by imposing a temporary evening curfew, followed by a daytime curfew, in...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2006 – Iraqi soldiers and police captured numerous types of munitions in two caches Feb. 20. Following a tip from a local resident, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, found a weapons cache in an abandoned building in Baghdad's Adhamiya district, officials reported today. The cache included 97 sticks of TNT, three pre-assembled bombs, six blasting caps, and other miscellaneous items. Elsewhere, Iraqi police discovered another weapons cache during a routine patrol of Samarra, one of four Islamic holy cities in Iraq and located about 78 miles north of Baghdad. The cache...

KIRKUK, Iraq (Army News Service, Feb. 21, 2006) ¡V Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers combined efforts Monday, capturing four known insurgents and unearthing a network of 15 weapons caches during a combined operation west of Kirkuk. The operation began with an Iraqi-led cordon and search of a village known to be a safe haven for insurgent and terrorist cells responsible for attacks on oil pipelines and coalition convoys in the area. With troops from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division providing security outside the village and U.S. aircraft overhead, soldiers of the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade moved in. Their...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2006 – U.S. soldiers found a weapons cache in Iraq, and Afghan citizens turned in a cache to coalition forces, military officials reported. Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, discovered a weapons cache while conducting cordon-and-search operations south of Baghdad yesterday. The cache consisted of 60 and 80 mm mortar rounds, rockets, detonation cord, homemade rocket launchers, 30 mm rounds and four license plates. In Afghanistan, local citizens turned in a significant cache of weapons and ordnance to coalition forces at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost on Feb...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2006 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers killed four terrorists and uncovered weapons caches in multiple recent incidents, military officials reported. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, spotted insurgents launching a mortar round and requested support from attack aviation aircraft southwest of Baghdad yesterday. After firing the mortar round, the terrorist team placed the mortar system into a white pickup truck and drove away, officials reported. A coalition forces fixed-wing aircraft later observed five men digging on the side of a canal. The individuals digging were confirmed as the same men who had fired...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2006 – Iraqi and U.S. forces conducted raids on two targets in Iraq's Diyala province and a raid west of Baghdad that netted a total of 106 individuals and a weapons cache, Multinational Force Iraq officials said. The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, advised by U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers, conducted assaults on two targets Feb. 12 in Diyala. The troops detained 102 persons of interest - 25 were on the Iraqi security forces "most wanted" list. They also killed two insurgents and discovered a large weapons cache. The combined Iraqi and U.S. forces...

ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq (Army News Service, Feb. 10, 2006) – Iraqi Army and coalition forces discovered three large roadside bombs, killed two terrorist suspects and captured 12 others during patrols and raids south of Baghdad this week. Iraqi Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Division, along with U.S. Soldiers from 2/8th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found the first roadside bomb Feb. 7 in Iskandariyah, located about 25 south of Baghdad. The bomb consisted of four 82mm rounds, one 155mm round and three rockets near Iskandariyah. The second roadside bomb, discovered near the same area,...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2006 – American and Iraqi soldiers found multiple roadside bombs and weapons caches during anti-terrorist operations in Iraq over the past several days. In fact, Iraqi army and coalition soldiers discovered three separate roadside bombs without incident over the past 24 hours. Iraqi soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Army Division, along with U.S. soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found the first roadside bomb near Iskandariyah. The bomb consisted of four 82 mm rounds, one 155 mm round and three rockets. A second roadside bomb was discovered...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2006 – Raids near Salman Pak, Iraq, yesterday resulted in the detention of suspected terrorists, and U.S. forces discovered a significant weapons cache Feb. 3, Multinational Force Iraq officials said today. Iraqi special forces led the nighttime raid near Salman Pak, south of Baghdad. About 100 Iraqi soldiers, supported by coalition forces, participated. The operation was designed to disrupt and capture wanted terrorists reportedly running a terrorist training camp and planning to launch attacks against Ashura Pilgrims traveling toward Karbala. A search of the buildings led to a cache consisting of AK-47 assault rifles and AK-47 magazines...

Find Zarqawi! Find IEDS! This proposal is for civilian activists to use unclassified satellite imagery to locate buried IED caches, insurgent hotspots, and Al Qaeda leadership. This project is analogous to the SETI project that lets civilians Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence on their home computers, but rather than searching through radio signals, home computer users will volunteer to search the most recent commercial satellite imagery of Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Indonesia, Lebanon, and the Phillipines for potential Al Qaeda leadership "safe houses," foot-trodden trails in mountains, or disturbed dirt that may indicate a recently buried weapons cache, etc. Positive suggestions...

ZAIDON, Iraq (Feb. 3, 2006) -- The sun was rising on the second day of Operation Trifecta and it was time for Sgt. Chad T. Johnson, a combat engineer attached to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and his engineers to impair insurgent operations in the Zaidon area. The Rockford, Ill., native was given the task of helping a platoon from Company F search vast areas of farm land looking for weapons and explosives the insurgents are suspected to have hidden there. “This is one of the primary missions for the engineers in this area of operation,” stated Johnson, a 1994...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2006 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured several weapons caches and suspected terrorists in operations throughout Iraq over the past few days, officials reported. Members of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, and an explosive ordnance disposal unit found and performed a controlled detonation of a roadside bomb south of Baghdad Jan. 25, officials said. The bomb consisted of three "daisy-chained" - set up to explode one after the other -- charges in oil barrels with 30 to 40 pounds of homemade explosives in each barrel. Soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad's 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,...

<p>BASRA, Iraq (AP) - Ali Hassan al-Majid, dubbed ``Chemical Ali'' by opponents of the Iraqi regime for ordering a poison gas attack that killed thousands of Kurds, has been found dead, a British officer said Monday.</p> <p>Maj. Andrew Jackson of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment told The Associated Press that his superiors had confirmed the death of the man who is also President Saddam Hussein's first cousin.</p> <p>Jackson said the body was found along with that of his bodyguard and the head of Iraqi intelligence services in Basra.</p>

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2006 – About 420 detainees, including five women, were to be released from coalition detention facilities in Iraq today and tomorrow, officials announced. The Iraqi-led Combined Review and Release Board reviewed the detainees' cases and recommended that they be released. The board, established in August 2004, consists of members from the ministries of Human Rights, Justice and Interior, as well as officers from the multinational forces, officials noted. To date, the board has reviewed the cases of more than 26,900 detainees, recommending more than 14,100 individuals for release. In other news, Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Battalion,...