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TF 1st Armored Division Conducts Offensive Operations
SOUTH CENTRAL IRAQ - Task Force 1st Armored Division conducted offensive operations, dubbed "Operation Iron Sabre," in Karbala, Husaniyah and Kufa May 21 to destroy the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, create safe environments for local businesses, citizens and pilgrims traveling to the holy sites, and facilitate transition to Iraqi Security Forces.
The militia had continued to fight despite calls for their withdrawal made by several Iraqi religious leaders.
In Karbala, Task Force 1-37 Armor captured 10 militiamen. Afterward, local citizens told the task force that the remaining militia fled the city. Soldiers on earlier missions this month found stores of ammunition and weapons stored in the Mukhayam Mosque and other buildings in the mosque compound. During that operation, Iraqi Security Forces found two severely beaten Iraqi policemen bound and gagged in a building filled with ammunition and explosives rigged to detonate. Militiamen also severely beat three other Iraqi policemen. "Ridding Karbala of militia fighters will allow the city to resume its normal activities," said Major General Martin Dempsey, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division. "Schools can open and children can study in safety. Businesses can open and prosper, and the community can flourish," he said. In the vicinity of An Najaf and Kufa, Soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 2-37 Armor and members of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism fought enemy forces holding fighting positions near the Al Sahlah Mosque. The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Force entered and cleared the mosque, capturing a .30 caliber machine gun, two 60mm mortar tubes, 12 rocket-propelled grenades, more than 200 82mm mortar rounds, and a number of RPG launchers. "We have no intention of entering the shrines," Dempsey said, adding Iraqi Security Forces would enter the holy places if it became necessary. The militia was putting the holy places at risk by using them as fighting positions, he said.
Nearby, the Task Force engaged a mortar firing point, destroying one mortar system, a truck loaded with mortars and killing four militia members. The task force was also attacked by militia from two different buildings: the technical college in Kufa and a building known as Saddam's Palace. The task force and ISF returned fire, killing 32 attackers.
In Husayniyah, Task Force 1-36 Infantry searched the city but were unable to find any militia.
All members of the community have a stake in their cities, Dempsey said. "Everyone needs to participate in the security of Iraq. Only by working together to eradicate violence, can the Iraqi people realize complete security and peace," Dempsey said.
Operation Iron Sabre is ongoing. Release #040523b |
