| WASHINGTON, March 29, 2007 – Coalition forces in Iraq this week killed four suspected terrorists, captured 67 others and netted scores of weapons in various operations, military officials reported.
In Iraq today:
-- After receiving fire from a group of armed terrorists in Mosul, coalition forces returned fire and killed four enemy fighters. Troops also detained two suspects allegedly involved in several improvised-explosive-device attacks in the area.
-- During an operation in Baghdad, coalition forces detained nine suspected terrorists allegedly involved in al Qaeda-related foreign fighter facilitation.
-- Forces raided a foreign fighter safe house northwest of Haditha, netting two suspects.
-- During a raid south of Fallujah targeting al Qaeda finance operations and foreign fighter facilitation, coalition forces detained two suspects.
“Successful coalition operations continue to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq operations, restrict the flow of foreign fighters, and reduce the terrorist organization's manpower pool,” Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesperson, said.
In Iraq earlier this week, Iraqi and Multinational Division Baghdad forces detained 38 suspected terrorists and discovered an improvised explosive device and five weapons caches south of Baghdad on March 27.
Soldiers of 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, participated in Operation Eagle Thunder III, an operation intended to deny terrorists safe haven within the southern region of Iraq.
Two suspects detained in the raid were wanted for ties to terrorism, five were carrying illegal weapons, and four others were in a vehicle that contained an AK-47 assault rifle, four magazines and a hand grenade.
The weapons caches discovered during the operation contained enemy propaganda, an insurgent information booklet, two bags of homemade explosives, a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher with five rockets, a 122 mm projectile, a propane tank, and various small-arms ammunition.
During the operation, troops discovered a command-wired IED near a road close to the al QaQaa weapons facility, southwest of Yusufiyah.
The contents of the cache were destroyed during a controlled detonation conducted by the explosive ordnance disposal team, and the detainees are being held for further questioning.
Elsewhere in Iraq March 27, 2nd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division soldiers and Hillah Iraqi police, worked together to conduct a cordon-and-search operation to confiscate unauthorized weapons, detain 14 insurgents and secure bomb-making materials in Hillah and outlying areas.
More than 700 Iraqi security personnel took part in the operation, and a military transition team from 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, assisted in command and control.
The confiscated weapons included 124 AK-47 assault rifles, 15 various 7.62mm rifles, 15 pistols, one shotgun, 84 AK-47 ammunition magazines and 10 pistol magazines. In addition, 18 sticks of C-4 explosives were found and secured.
The 14 detained insurgents are being held for questioning.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
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