1ST ARMORED DIVISION CLEARS MOSQUE OF MILITIA (official, CENTCOM)

CENTCOM ^ | May 13, 2004

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

	NEWS RELEASE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894

May 13, 2004
Release Number: 04-05-28


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


1ST ARMORED DIVISION CLEARS MOSQUE OF MILITIA

KARBALA, Iraq - Soldiers from Task Force 1st Armored Division cleared a building complex used by Muqtada's Militia during a cordon and search operation that began last night and continued into this morning.

The operation began at about 11 p.m. Tuesday when elements of Task Force 1-37, 1st Armored Division moved into positions around the 12-building Mukhayam Mosque and shrine complex.

Karbala, a Shiite holy city south of Baghdad, has been the site of several clashes between militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and U.S. and other coalition troops over the past few days. The Mukhayam Mosque is located about 500 yards from the Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas shrines, two of Iraq's most revered religious sites located at the city's center. Extreme caution was taken to ensure the holy shrines were not damaged in any way during the fighting.

Muqtada's Militia used the mosque complex to plan attacks against members of the coalition, stage forces and to store weapons and ammunition. Ammunition caches found inside several of the buildings were rigged for demolition.

The coalition task force also included Polish and Bulgarian units, a company from the 402nd Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and Iraqi Police Service officers.

As Soldiers prepared to enter the complex, they received mortar, small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire from the mosque and from rooftops of surrounding buildings.

During the exchange, a cache of weapons and ammunition in one of the buildings ignited.

At about 2:50 a.m. Soldiers rescued two bound-and-gagged Iraqi police officers from another building. Ammunition found with the policemen, also rigged for demolition, was disarmed.

Militiamen holed up inside the shrine fought the advancing Coalition forces with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades.

Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers and Iraqi police officers made the assault into the mosque while other coalition forces established a cordon around the building. Inside, they found 15 artillery rounds, 15 mortar rounds and small arms ammunition.

About 20 enemy militiamen were killed during the assault. Seven U.S. Soldiers were wounded.

Today, Soldiers have been destroying the weapons and ammunition found during the operation.

Task Force Soldiers and Iraqi security forces remain in the area to secure the site and prevent looting.

According to published reports, signs of mainstream Shiite resentment of al-Sadr have been rising. Tuesday, about 1,000 people marched through Najaf streets demanding that he and his followers leave the city, as moderate Shiite leaders have urged. Tensions rose as the march passed al-Sadr's office. His fighters fired into the air, but there was no clash.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

May 13 -- KARBALA, Iraq - Soldiers from Task Force 1st Armored Division cleared a building complex used by Muqtada's Militia during a cordon and search operation that began last night and continued into this morning.

 

The coalition task force also included Polish and Bulgarian units, a company from the 402nd Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and Iraqi Police Service officers...

 

About 20 enemy militiamen were killed during the assault. Seven U.S. Soldiers were wounded.

....Today, Soldiers have been destroying the weapons and ammunition found during the operation.

According to published reports, signs of mainstream Shiite resentment of al-Sadr have been rising. Tuesday, about 1,000 people marched through Najaf streets demanding that he and his followers leave the city..

 

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                     God bless our brave Troops,

       coalition, civilian, and native allies!  

* Troop prayer thread #10. Welcome!

[OpusatFR]

Bump for good news.

Stay safe and get the miserable troglodytes.

[Logic n' Reason]

"Holy" shrines???? "Sacred" to their "religion"?

Shrines to a god that condones, encourages, supports, demands the killing of any and all non-believers?

"Holy"???

"Sacred"???

My A#@...

The only shrine these things deserve or will understand is a smokin' hole in the ground.

Way to go, First Cav!

[Logic n' Reason]

Make that: Way to go, 1st Armored!

(I like the Cav too!).

[Russ]

Headline from CNN:

American Troops Invade Mosque, Loot Ammunitiom and Weapons, Slaughter Freedom Fighters

[LoudRepublicangirl]

This is what I want to see splattered all over the news. Not pictures of Iraqi prisoners in women's panties.

[Final Authority]

Why did we have seven casualities? When a mosque is used to stage war it is no longer a sacred site and is subject to desruction. Why wasn't it a smart bomb target with several 500 pounders? There would be seven men whole today. That more than pays for our trouble.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

Spot-on.

I can't wait for the media to report that we've bombed a prosthetics factory, which was being used to replace the limbs of defenseless Iraqis who've been mutiliated by U.S. missiles.

[freekitty]

Now, this is where a scorched earth policy should be enacted.

[FreeAtlanta]

At about 2:50 a.m. Soldiers rescued two bound-and-gagged Iraqi police officers from another building.

-cool

[SAMWolf]

Coalition Bump!

[alexandria]

Tuesday, about 1,000 people marched through Najaf streets demanding that he and his followers leave the city..

We need to encorage as much of this as possible. Would be nice if the MEDIA would put it on the air so all of the wanna bees would take note.

[RolandBurnam]

I agree totally. Smart bomb these mosques.

[The Great RJ]

Perhaps we should turn this mosque into a pig farm in retaliation for the killing of Berg

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[blackie]

Good news ~ Bump!

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[King Prout]

ok. fine.

Now that we have so carefully taken and cleared the complex, we should mine it and blow it straight to hell.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Ammunition caches found inside several of the buildings were rigged for demolition.

So... set them off! Say it was a work accident to calm the populace.

[Outlaw76]

According to published reports, signs of mainstream Shiite resentment of al-Sadr have been rising. Tuesday, about 1,000 people marched through Najaf streets demanding that he and his followers leave the city..

This part makes me smile. It took roughly two years of occupation in Germany before citizen's protested the Werewolves. That's progress.