NOTE: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2788
16 Insurgents Killed in Iraq, 18 Detained; Weapons Caches Found
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2007 – Coalition forces killed 16 terrorists and detained 18 others in Iraq this week, military officials said, and troops discovered multiple weapons caches.
In Iraq yesterday, soldiers from the 3rd Iraqi Army Division, with coalition advisors, detained three suspected members of an insurgent cell during operations in the village of Ibrat As Saghirah in northern Iraq. The insurgent cell with links to al Qaeda in Iraq is responsible for coordinating and carrying out mortar and small arms attacks against Iraqi civilians, military officials said.
In eastern Baghdad yesterday, U.S. Army soldiers with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, with elements from the Iraqi army, launched "Operation Wolf."
The mission, aimed at bringing more security to the area by reducing sectarian violence and clearing the area of insurgents, is part of an on-going U.S.-Iraqi effort to transition security to Iraqi security forces.
Also in Iraq yesterday:
-- Coalition forces working on intelligence reports engaged and killed nine armed terrorists, detained six others and discovered grenades, machine guns and pistols in Haditha.
-- Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained two others during an operation in Baghdad.
-- Coalition forces shot and killed one terrorist, detained another and discovered bomb-making materials during a raid in Yusufiyah.
-- Paratroopers with the 25th Infantry Division and Iraqi security forces detained four suspects in Karbala with alleged ties to the Jan. 20 attack at the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center.
Earlier this week east in eastern Baghdad, soldiers with 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, detained two suspected insurgents and seized roughly 7,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition Jan. 21 during a neighborhood search.
Elsewhere in Iraq this week, Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5 discovered 14 large weapons caches Jan. 21 during Operation Northern Venture in Anbar province.
“The discovery of such caches is extremely important as it provides the Iraqi civilians a better sense of security,” Lt. Col. Kenneth M. DeTreux, battalion commanding officer, said. “When we take these weapons away, we lessen the ability of the enemy to terrorize and intimidate civilians.”
The caches contained seven heavy machine guns, one small machine gun, six AK-47 assault rifles, one bolt-action rifle and two Iranian assault rifles. Marines also discovered 23 82 mm high explosive mortars, five 60 mm high explosive mortar rounds, one 120 mm high explosive mortar round, small- and heavy-arms ammunition and a large assortment of weapons related equipment.
“The caches that we found were a mix of all sorts of ordnance from mortars to heavy machine guns,” Maj. Sean M. Riordan, battalion executive officer, said. “There's no doubt that the rural areas in Iraq contain numerous weapons caches, and the things we took away from the insurgency help to chip away at their tactical capabilities.”
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2790
100 Terrorists Killed, 50 Detained in Operation Turki Bowl
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2007 – U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 100 terrorists, detained 50, and dismantled a large terrorist group in January during Operation Turki Bowl, the senior U.S. Army officer in Iraq’s Diyala province said yesterday.
The operation, conducted from Jan. 4 to 13, occurred south of Balad Ruz in the Turki Village, Tuwilla and 30 Tamuz areas of the province. During the operation, U.S. Army and Iraqi soldiers isolated and defeated a terrorist group known as “The Council,” Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, told reporters via satellite connection from a news conference in Iraq.
“The group, made up of former Baath Regime members, al Qaeda and Sunni extremists, refused to participate in any political dialogue and preferred attacking innocent civilians in the Diyala province,” Sutherland said.
The council killed as many as 39 civilians in one kidnapping and mass murder in November, he added.
"The fear of the people and the weapons used by these individuals are used to attack the core of Iraqi values and beliefs,” Sutherland said. “They are interested in preventing individual human rights and freedoms that the people of this region want so much."
Leading up to the large-scale operation, coalition forces discovered a large weapons cache in November in the area, resulting in “major combat operations with several large organizations” of terrorists, Sutherland said.
“Upon defeating them, we intentionally moved back to our base of operations so that we could exploit the intelligence that we would … gather over the next several months,” he said.
While developing plans for Operation Turki Bowl, U.S. military leaders, with the 5th Iraqi Army Division, studied the enemy’s early warning systems, their actions, and “how they reacted to our initial contact with them,” Sutherland said.
Coalition forces conducted smaller-scale raids in the area prior to Operation Turki Bowl, to give civilians a perceived safe-haven and encourage their cooperation with troops, he said. Through tips and phone calls to coalition forces, civilians provided invaluable information about the enemy, Sutherland added.
“What we wanted to do was isolate (terrorists) from the population so they could not blend in,” Sutherland said. “It (was) a counterinsurgency operation, but the difference is we were able separate the terrorists from the people they were living off of.
“Since I’ve been here, we have not conducted an operation where we have been able to bring to bear against a group of this size that was willing to fight us out in the open,” Sutherland said.
In addition to defeating the council, troops found 25 weapons caches containing more than 1,150 Katusha rockets and 1,000 rocket-propelled grenades, 170 anti-tank missiles, anti-tank mines, small- and heavy-arms ammunition and sensitive terrorist documents.
Soldiers are now focused on interacting with the local populous and reinforcing the security and stability of the region, according to a Multinational Force Iraq news release. The Iraqi army will maintain a permanent presence, while coalition forces are focusing on reconstructing roads, essential services and other basic services to help the people of Turki, the release stated.
"This operation clearly was a significant tactical success for (coalition forces), (Iraq army), and most importantly, the citizens of Turki and surrounding areas," Sutherland said. "The long-term affects we hope to achieve are stability for economic growth, increased political action for all parties and self-reliance for the Iraqi government and security forces."