| WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2006 -- Coalition forces killed six Iraqis in a firefight, and Iraqi forces detained two suspected terrorists in separate operations this week, military officials reported.
Six Iraqis were killed in conjunction with a firefight in the hostile Hamaniyah area of northeastern Ramadi yesterday.
Before dawn, coalition forces discovered an improvised explosive device in Hamaniyah. The patrol spotted two insurgents moving away from the trigger site. The two men took up positions on the roof of a house and observed the coalition forces clearing the explosive device.
As coalition forces cleared the bomb, the insurgents engaged the security element with small-arms fire. After establishing positive identification, coalition forces returned fire with small-arms and machine-gun fire. As the insurgents continued to engage the patrol, coalition forces returned fire with main-tank-gun rounds.
Coalition forces conducted an extensive search of the house and found one boy and five girls, ages ranging from infant to teenaged, dead. One woman injured at the scene refused treatment. According to local residents, the house was a known insurgent safe house. Officials believe one of the insurgents was wounded and other insurgents came to remove him from the scene.
"In a very tragic way, today reminds us that insurgents' actions throughout Iraq are felt by all," coalition spokesman Marine Lt. Col. Bryan Salas said. "Efforts are under way to coordinate and offer available assistance to surviving family members."
In another operation, Iraqi army soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, detained two local citizens on a motorcycle carrying three mortar rounds and a large sum of money in Taji Nov. 27. The two suspects were placed into custody after allegedly firing two mortar rounds into the 2nd Iraqi Brigade's area of operations. The suspects were passing through an Iraqi checkpoint at the time of their detention. Iraqi army soldiers were conducting a reconnaissance mission in the area after discovering mortar rounds had been fired in their vicinity. The two men were apprehended during this recon.
Elsewhere, five Iraqi civilians were killed and 25 others were injured during an IED attack Nov. 27 in a cell phone store in Muqdadiyah. The attack took place at around 4 p.m., when an undetermined number of insurgent forces entered the cell phone shop, shot and killed the owner, then placed the IED inside the store. The IED exploded when a crowd of civilians gathered near the shop.
The Muqdadiyah Iraqi police responded to the attack, where they found four local civilians dead and 26 injured. Four were treated for minor injuries on site and released, and 21 others were taken to Forward Operating Base Normandy, where they received medical treatment by medics from 6th Battalion, 9th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. One of the injured civilians died before arriving at the medical facility.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
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