Two Al Qaeda Leaders, Three Terrorists Killed; 39 Detained in Iraq

American Forces Press Service ^

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2007 – Coalition forces identified bodies of two al Qaeda leaders, killed three additional terrorists and nabbed 39 others during operations across Iraq recently, military officials said.

Coalition forces positively identified two more senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders killed in the May 1 operation west of Taji that left Muharib Abdul Latif dead. One of the terrorists killed during the operation was positively identified as Sabah Hilal al-Shihawi, who reportedly was Latif’s religious advisor.

Another terrorist killed during the raid was Abu Ammar al-Masri. Intelligence reports indicate that he was a foreign fighter facilitating insurgent activity and infrastructure support for al Qaeda in Iraq.

Both terrorists were positively identified by associates at the site. In addition, Shihawi’s identity was positively verified in a photograph.

“We will not wait for these terrorists to strike; we will seek them out,” said Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “This is what al Qaeda in Iraq members can expect when they target the Iraqi people and security forces that protect them.”

During raids yesterday and today targeting al Qaeda leaders and a foreign fighter facilitation network in central Iraq, coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained six suspected terrorists.

En route to the first targeted location, coalition forces received small-arms fire from an individual with a chest rack of magazines and grenades. Troops reacted to the hostile threat with appropriate self-defense measures and returned fire, killing the armed terrorist, U.S. officials said.

Coalition forces continued to the first targeted site, where they called to the occupants to leave the building. Two armed men ran out of the building and engaged coalition forces with small-arms fire.

Using appropriate self-defense measures, coalition forces returned fire, killing one and injuring another, officials said. The injured individual was taken to a military medical facility, where he later died from his wounds.

Further searches of the targeted buildings uncovered four individuals suspected of ties to a foreign fighter facilitation network and al Qaeda in Iraq. The four suspected terrorists were detained.

In other operations, one suspect was detained southwest of Taji, and another was detained in a raid in northern Baghdad. Both individuals are allegedly tied to al Qaeda senior leaders and their network, military officials said.

"Each operation we conduct in pursuit of these terrorists is a systematic maneuver to chip away at the network of al Qaeda and rogue foreign fighter elements that are trying to derail the progress of Iraq," Garver said.

During raids in Sadr City this morning, coalition forces detained 16 suspected terrorists. The individuals targeted during the raid are suspected members of a secret cell terrorist network known for helping transport terrorist recruits, weapons and explosively formed penetrators from Iran to Iraq. Intelligence reports also indicate the secret cell has ties to a kidnapping network that conducts attacks within Iraq, and has links to rogue elements in Iraq and Iran.

"This morning's success is yet another example of the dedication and determination of coalition forces to rid Iraq of the terrorist organizations that threaten the safety and security of this country and its people," Garver said.

Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, discovered four improvised explosive devices, components for 25 additional improvised explosive devices, seven 107 mm Iranian-made rockets, and an 81 mm Iranian-made mortar during a combat operation in the Mahmudiyah area today. The contents of the cache were destroyed during a controlled detonation conducted by an explosive ordnance team.

In Operation Eagle Thunder III on May 2, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Drum, N.Y., detained nine suspected terrorists and discovered weapons in Mahmudiyah. While conducting searches of the area, soldiers found a weapons cache in the reeds that consisted of homemade grenades. Troops also discovered two improvised explosive devices during the operation.

The suspected terrorists were detained for suspicious activity and are being held for further questioning. The weapons were destroyed during a controlled detonation conducted by the explosive ordnance team.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!

[PeaceBeWithYou]

It’s a Trifecta!

[Valin]

Dingy Harry is feeling a little down.

[rdl6989]

Some other ones bite the dust.

[madconserv]

All good news but this stuff kills me: Using appropriate self-defense measures, coalition forces returned fire

Thats like they are saying...we did everything by the rules so please Mr military lawyer don't throw us in jail.

[gpapa]

Sounds like the ROE is still a danger for our troops on the ground. Our combat troops are trained to take the fight to the enemy, not to return fire only when presented with a direct threat. We have turned our troops into SWAT teams with similar ROE.

[madconserv]

Good analogy. Are we fighting a war or is this a police action?
Also, when is Bush going to do something real about the Iranian\Syrian weapons smuggling? All you would have to do is fly those drones around the boarders and move in as soon as they spot something suspicious. 50 Blackhawks on stand by near the boarders would do it.

[chasio649]

What does “detained” mean exactly?

[Dog]

Abu Ammar al-Masri

Does this name ring a bell with any of you..

They were quick to ID him(like they knew of him)yet they claim he is just a foreign fighter....some where I have seen his name before but can't place where.

[Valin]

Here's a story from Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-iraq,0,2789634.story?coll=ny-leadworldnews-headlines

(snip)
The chief U.S. military spokesman on Thursday said the U.S. did not have the bodies of al-Qaida boss Abu Ayyub al-Masri or Islamic State leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and did not know "of anybody that does."

The military on Friday identified two of the other slain militants as al-Jubouri's spiritual guide Sabah Hilal al-Shihawi and a foreign fighter, Abu Ammar al-Masri, who it said was helping with insurgent activity and infrastructure support for al-Qaida. Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, another U.S. military spokesman, said Friday that Abu Ammar al-Masri is unrelated to the al-Qaida boss.

That maybe where you heard the name.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Bttt

[SandRat]

it means, if i am explaining this correctly that they are being held prisoner and interrogated for information on enemy actions at the same time their story is being checked when that’s over, there are four possible out comes; they can be released (because they were just a bystander that was picked up, you want to tail him to catch more {bait your hook with a small fish to catch a big fish} or let word out that he’s a snitch), they can be sent to club gitmo, they could be turned over to iraqi authorities (much harsher questioning techniques, long jail sentences, and yes even a goodly number of death sentences from the iraqi court).

[Cap Huff]

I have no idea. If these Islamic pseudonyms confuse the Iraqi authorities, I am not surprised that we can’t quite figure out whether we’ve heard of him before or not.

It is interesting that our guys were pretty quick to get an ID on the guy.

[Dog]

No...It was somewhere else.

I know I've seen that name before...and not recently.