U.S. Forces Seek 2 Soldiers Apparently Captured in Iraq [More info]

New York Times ^ | 6/17/06 | Dexter Filkins

[saquin]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 17 — American soldiers began an intensive search on Saturday for two of their comrades who apparently were captured by masked insurgents after an ambush in the chaotic area south of the capital.

[...]

According to local Iraqis in the area, who were interviewed by telephone from Baghdad, the two American soldiers who survived the gun battle were led away by the insurgents to a pair of waiting cars.

Hassan Abdul Hadi was tending to his date and apple trees near the village of Qaraghul when he heard gunfire and explosions. When he walked to the road, he saw an American Humvee.

"I was shocked to see the Humvee — nothing seemed to be wrong with it," Mr. Hadi said. "Then I heard the men shouting 'God is great!' and I saw that they had taken the Americans with them. The gunmen took them and drove away."

At the time of the attack, the American soldiers were at a traffic control checkpoint outside of Yusufiya, a troubled town south of Baghdad that is considered a stronghold of the terrorist group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. According to the Iraqis, the checkpoint was guarded by about a dozen American soldiers who had come in three Humvees.

The checkpoint came under fire from insurgents operating from orange, apple and date groves that line the road. The Americans in two of the Humvees took off in pursuit as the insurgents retreated into the groves, the Iraqis said, leaving one of the Humvees and only three or four Americans soldiers at the checkpoint.

The checkpoint then came under attack from another direction by a group of seven or eight guerrillas, wearing kaffiyehs over their faces and black suits, the Iraqis said.

[STARWISE]

Dear Lord, please let there be mercy and safe recovery for them.

[processing please hold]

I hate to even think of the torture they are probably going through.

[processing please hold]

murtha(spit)

God, please let our troops find them.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Did the military confirm that these reports by local Iraqi's were true? This is the NYT who seem to embellish their stories. I don't doubt that these 2 soldiers are in harms way but I would rather hear our own people confirm that this information was true rather than believe the Times.

[DTogo]

Still scratching my head as to how they got captured, and/or why any of them would allow themselves to get captured alive. I'd shoot/frag myself!

[observer5]

Simple deal, announce that if something happens to the soldiers, for each soldier execute 100 captured "insurgents".

[mcshot]

I'm with you.

[processing please hold]

I agree, but, it'll never happen. Too many murtha's in this country. They'd rather see our soldiers die than a terrorist hurt.

[Lib-Lickers 2]

I'm sure the world wide press and International Red Cross will be insisting on their proper treatment

[edpc]

Man, oh man....I hope this story is as inaccurate as the NYT usually is. If this is true and the new tactic of terrorists, it's time to ante up. I still have a couple years of eligibility for re-enlistment. The scenes from Mogadishu infuriated me. At that time, I had just left the service and knew that POS Clinton would not do anything. I refused to serve with him as CiC. I reluctantly heeded the wishes of others after 2001. I won't stand idly by and watch our soldiers get 'Berged' on the internet/TV. Time to have a talk with the family.

[TexKat]

Thanks SE MOM for the ping. May God be with the two missing soldiers and with all of our men and women that are in harms way.

LoudRepublicangirl: Did the military confirm that these reports by local Iraqi's were true?

In this still from video footage released by the U.S. Army, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell speaks during a press conference in Baghdad Iraq, Saturday, June 17, 2006. The US military said troops searched Saturday for two soldiers that went missing after an attack that killed one of their comrades at a traffic checkpoint in the so-called 'Triangle of Death' just south of Baghdad. Caldwell said four raids were carried out since the Friday attack and that troops, helicopters and airplanes were taking part in the search. (AP Photo / US Army via APTN)

U.S. seeks soldiers in Iraq death triangle

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops on Saturday searched for two soldiers missing after an attack that killed one of their comrades at a checkpoint in the so-called "Triangle of Death" south of Baghdad.

U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said four raids had been carried out since Friday's attack and that ground forces, helicopters and airplanes were taking part in the search.

He said a dive team also was going to search for the men, whose checkpoint was located by a Euphrates River canal near Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad.

The New York Times reported that Iraqi residents in the area said they saw two soldiers taken prisoner by a group of masked guerrillas. It said the two surviving soldiers were led to two cars and driven away.

Fellow soldiers at a nearby checkpoint heard small-arms fire and explosions, and a quick-reaction force reached the scene in 15 minutes, the military said. The force found one soldier dead but no sign of the two others.

"We are currently using every means at our disposal on the ground, in the air and in the water to find them," said Caldwell, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Baghdad.

The area is known as the Triangle of Death because of the frequent ambushes and attacks against U.S. soldiers and Iraqi troops.

The spokesman noted the military was still searching for Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin, who went missing on April 9, 2004.

"We continue to search using every means available and will not stop looking until we find the missing soldiers," he said.

Maupin was captured when insurgents ambushed his fuel convoy with the 724th Transportation Co. west of Baghdad. A week later, Arab television network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles.

That June, Al-Jazeera aired another tape purporting to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark, grainy tape showed only the back of the victim's head and did not show the actual shooting. The Army ruled it was inconclusive whether the soldier was Maupin.

A 20-year-old private first class at the time of his capture, Maupin has been promoted twice since then.

[TexKat]

Officials launch search for missing soldiers

By: AFPS | Submitted on: 06/17/06

BAGHDAD, June 17, 2006 – Coalition and Iraqi officials have launched a massive search operation for two coalition soldiers missing following an incident in Yusufiyah, Iraq, yesterday.

Multinational Force Iraq spokesman Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said today a third soldier was killed in the fight. The names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The soldiers were manning a checkpoint at a canal crossing near the Euphrates River. Forces at a nearby traffic-control point heard an explosion and small-arms fire at about 7:55 p.m. yesterday.

A quick-reaction force responded and arrived on the scene within 15 minutes, Caldwell said. They found one soldier killed and the other two missing.

Those missing have been listed as "duty status and whereabouts unknown." This category changes to "missing in action" if they are not found in 10 days.

"Coalition soldiers and Iraqi security forces initiated a search operation within minutes to determine the status of (the missing) soldiers, and we are currently using every means at our disposal on the ground, in the air and in the water to find them," Caldwell said.

Following the incident, commanders notified all traffic-control points to stop civilian traffic and increase security. Coalition officials also dispatched helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles to aid the search.

"Within an hour of the incident, blocking positions were established throughout the area in a concerted effort to focus the search and prevent movement of suspects out of the area," Caldwell said.

In addition, coalition forces launched three raids, one today and two yesterday, on suspected terrorist safe houses in the area. Dive teams are searching the canals and river near the site.

Yusufiyah has been the site of many extremist incidents. In April, coalition forces killed and captured a number of foreign fighters hiding in the area. Battles in May resulted in the deaths of more than 40 Sunni extremists. Yusifiyah is a predominantly Sunni town about 10 miles south of Baghdad.

Coalition and Iraqi forces met with local leaders to enlist their aid in finding the missing soldiers.

"We continue to search using every means available and will not stop looking until we find the missing soldiers," Caldwell said. "Make no mistake: We never stop looking for our servicemembers until their status is definitively determined, and we will continue to pray for their safe return."

Only one soldier is listed as missing in action during the three-plus years of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Terrorists said they captured Army Sgt. Matt Maupin in April 2004. A videotape alleged to show Maupin appeared on an extremist Web site.

The American Forces Press Service (AFPS) is the news service provided by the United States Department of Defense and supplies news stories pertaining to the activities of U.S. military forces around the world.

[daybreakcoming]

I too am wondering about this eyewitness account - "led to a car"?? I want to doubt this but in the meantime, prayers are ongoing.

[SE Mom]

I listened to General Caldwell when he made his statement to the press- he looked/sounded very sober.

[Steel Wolf]

This is the key information right here.

The checkpoint came under fire from insurgents operating from orange, apple and date groves that line the road. The Americans in two of the Humvees took off in pursuit as the insurgents retreated into the groves, the Iraqis said, leaving one of the Humvees and only three or four Americans soldiers at the checkpoint.

A normal three humvee patrol was separated, apparently by insurgents who had observed this phenomenon before and were ready to capitalize on it. The patrol took the bait, the insurgents sprung the trap. This type of ambush shows a high degree of preparation and understanding of our tactics.

As for the capture itself, it's hard to know what happened. The three could have been wounded, or simply caught looking left when they should have been looking right, and would up with a squad of insurgents who had the drop on them. There's really not much you can do at that point other than go for your weapon and die, or surrender.

At any rate, I think that the NYT scenario at least sounds plausible. I don't have any other information, but it seems to me that what they are reporting would be the most likely way insurgents could possibly have accomplished what they did.

[Steel Wolf]

*ping*

Looking into this now.

[SE Mom]

That makes some sense...speaking just now with some vets from Iraq- they theorize it was a set-up as well- saying 3 alone at a checkpoint would (when they were there) be extremely unusual- particularly in that area.

[new yorker 77]

NY Times hoping for captured troops.

Next they will hope they are beheaded.

THE MSM DEAD FAILURE REPORT.

[hawkaw]

With all the setbacks alQuaeda's had recently, I fear that examples will be made of these two men to try to gain back some of the momentum.

This is my big worry too.

[mystery-ak]

Dear God, Please give these boys the strength to endure.....