Free Republic

COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY, Iraq — The U.S. military confirmed that one of the men it captured in an early-morning air assault mission Sunday near Salman Pak was the “high-value individual” they were targeting. According to the commander of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, the man — wanted for weapons smuggling and financing attacks in Salman Pak and al Ja’ara — confirmed his identity shortly after being taken into custody. Officials further said the man was “an expert bomb maker and [car bomb] maker” who led Sunni extremist cells in the area. The battalion, part of the 3rd Brigade Combat...