Note: The following text is an exact quote:
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http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/News_Release.asp?NewsRelease=200510113.txt
NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
October 31, 2005
Release Number: 05-10-113
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AL QAEDA FOREIGN FIGHTER FACILITATOR KILLED
BAGHDAD, Iraq – A Saudi-born member of al Qaeda involved in smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq was killed Oct. 29 as he attempted to flee Coalition Forces.
Multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens led Coalition Forces to a location near Ubaydi where a senior Saudi al Qaeda foreign fighter facilitator known as Sa’ud (aka Abu Sa’ud) would be located. Upon arrival at the location, Coalition Forces attempted to secure the vehicle containing Sa’ud and other terrorists when the driver tried to escape. Coalition Forces shot at the vehicle, killing Abu Sa’ud and three unknown terrorists.
Abu Sa’ud, a Saudi extremist, was a senior al Qaeda terrorist who funneled foreign fighters and suicide bombers into Iraq. Intelligence sources believe that Sa’ud recently arrived from Saudi Arabia to shore up the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter and terrorists cells whose previous leaders have been captured or killed in recent months.
Coalition Forces were informed that an alleged meeting was being arranged in the coming days in which Sa’ud was to take control of foreign fighter facilitation in the al Qaim and Husaybah region. It was also believed that Sa’ud would take on a more active role in the planning and execution of operations against Coalition Forces.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT JAMES.CRABTREE@IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL.
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005/20051031_3202.html
Despite Media Battle, Terrorists Fail to Stop Progress in Iraq
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2005 – Despite a desperate media battle in Iraq, terrorists are failing to stop Iraqis from advancing on the political and security fronts, a senior military official in Baghdad told reporters Oct. 30.
"To the terrorists, the media is a vital force multiplier," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Alston, director of strategic communications for Multinational Force Iraq during a briefing at the Combined Press Information Center in Baghdad.
That's why terrorists targeted Baghdad's Palestine Hotel, a base for many media outlets, during an Oct. 24 car bombing, Alston said. He called the bombing a signature al Qaeda attack, set to inflict as much death and destruction as possible while guaranteeing maximum media coverage.
"(Terrorists) attempt to use the media to appear more capable than they really are and to intimidate others with attack videos and Web site postings," Alston said. Desperate because they can't gain credibility any other way, they resort to "mindless destruction at the media's front doorstep," he said.
A letter from al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, reflects that desperation, Alston said. Intelligence operatives intercepted the letter before it reached its intended recipient, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the main leader of terrorists in Iraq.
"We are in a media battle in a race for the hearts and minds of the (followers of Islam)," Zawahiri wrote, acknowledging that it's al Qaeda's only hope of success in Iraq.
But despite their efforts, "Zawahiri, Zarqawi and others have failed to stop the march toward democracy time and time again," Alston told reporters.
Terrorists failed to stop January elections, the seating and meeting of the Transitional National Assembly, and the drafting of the constitution and the referendum approving it, he said. "They will also fail to stop the elections in December," he said. Iraq's parliamentary elections are slated for Dec. 15.
Alston congratulated the 10 million Iraqis who voted during the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum. Eight million supported the draft constitution, and 2 million opposed it. These people, regardless of how they voted, seized the opportunity to decide their country's future and build a new Iraq, he said.
"A new Iraq is what they will have with the December elections when they select a permanent government," Alston said.
As the political process advances, Iraq's security forces are gaining in numbers and capability, he said. More than 207,000 Iraqi soldiers and police are patrolling the country's streets and borders, and the number of Iraqi battalions taking the lead in combat operations has jumped 50 percent since July.
"These additional forces allow us to continue to put pressure on the enemy every day of the week, and it is paying off," Alston said.
Related Site:
Multinational Force Iraq
Note: The following post is an exact quote:
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http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/News_Release.asp?NewsRelease=20051104.txt
NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
November 1, 2005
Release Number: 05-11-04
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TASK FORCE BAGHDAD PATROLS STOP BOMB ATTACKS
BAGHDAD, Iraq – During combat operations in and around Baghdad Oct. 27-31, Task Force Baghdad Soldiers continued to aggressively engage terrorists plotting attacks against Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security and Coalition forces.
Soldiers on patrol disrupted several potential attacks, finding and destroying improvised explosive devices before they could be detonated by terrorists.
On Oct. 29, Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team reported finding two vehicle bombs in south Baghdad. The first truck contained four 122-millimeter rounds and the second vehicle contained three 130-millimeter rounds and two 122-millimeter rounds. An explosives ordnance disposal team was summoned to the scene to disable the explosive charges. Three suspects were detained for further questioning about the bombs.
In an Oct. 28 incident, another Task Force Baghdad patrol south of Baghdad spotted three suspicious individuals crouched by the side of the road next to what appeared to be a pile of dirt. When the U.S. Soldiers approached, the three terrorists jumped into a truck and tried to get away. They were quickly stopped by the Soldiers who searched the vehicle and found detonation cord.
The individuals were detained and told the Soldiers they had nothing to do with the “pile of rocks” on the side of the road. When the Soldiers approached the dirt mound, they saw a 155-millimeter round sticking out. To protect Iraqi citizens in the area, they cordoned off the area. An explosive ordnance disposal team later destroyed the bomb.
Immediately after a patrol from 3rd Bn., 7th Inf. Reg. struck an IED in south Baghdad Oct. 27, they detained three individuals who were seen running into a nearby house. When the Soldiers searched the premises, they found bomb-making materials. No U.S. Soldiers were injured in the IED attack.
In other combat operations:
Two were detained Oct. 30 by a U.S. patrol north of Baghdad after they were found with bomb-making material, including a blasting cap and two mortar rounds.
Soldiers from 3-7 Inf. detained three terror suspects during a cordon and search in western Al Rasheed Oct. 31.
In a separate operation, Iraqi elements from the Wolf Brigade captured 15 suspected terrorists in Al Dora during the early-morning hours of Oct. 31.
Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment discovered two roadside bombs during route clearance operations Oct. 30. An EOD team disarmed the bombs and determined the devices were made from four 125-millimeter artillery rounds and two anti-tank mines.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT TASK FORCE BAGHDAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT DAVID.ABRAMS@ID3.ARMY.MIL.
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