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NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894   November 16, 2003Release Number: 03-11-24 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OPERATION IVY CYCLONE II TIKRIT, Iraq – The 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse has launched a series of combined arms operations to include air and ground strikes against identified targets, along with precision raids against non-compliant groups and individuals focused on neutralizing paramilitary, former regime loyalists, foreign fighters and other extremist and subversive elements within task force area of responsibility. Operation Ivy Cyclone II will utilize actionable intelligence combined...

SCORPION AND SIDEWINDER CONTINUE TO YIELD RESULTS BAGHDAD, Iraq – A total of eight raids were conducted in the last 24 hours by the 4th Infantry Division. Operation Sidewinder resulted in 32 detained individuals and 10 AK-47s, two pistols and one mortar being confiscated. In one successful raid, the 4th ID detained a Ba’ath party colonel along with five other individuals. Eight million Iraqi Dinar and assorted weapons, including eight AK-47s, were also confiscated in the raid. Meanwhile, as a part of Desert Scorpion in Baghdad, the 1st Armored Division detained 148 individuals and secured 247 sites by conducting raids,...

The high level of activity of recent days reduced as Coalition forces continue Operation Desert Scorpion. Scorpion Combat Operations are: The 1st Armored Division executed offensive actions in Baghdad conducting six raids and detaining 22 individuals. The unit seized nine rifles, eight pistols, three knives, two boxes of grenades, one bomb and three 127mm rounds. The 4th Infantry Division operating in an area ranging from Kirkuk in the north to Taji in the south conducted three raids and detained three individuals. The unit seized three AK-47s, one mortar site and one Dragonov night site. Among humanitarian assistance delivered June 20...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An oil fire raged Sunday after saboteurs blew up a vital pipeline, threatening supplies to Baghdad's main refinery and fresh torment for drivers in the capital, Iraqi Oil Ministry officials said. It was the second major fire to damage Iraqi oil pipelines this month. U.S. officials blamed the first on a gas leak on the main export pipeline from the Kirkuk oilfields to Turkey. "This incident is an act of sabotage. The pipeline was blown up deliberately," said one Oil Ministry official of the latest blast. He did not elaborate and asked not to be named. A...

'Apocalypse Now' Music Fires Up U.S. Troops for Raid By Alistair Lyon BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops psyched up on a bizarre musical reprise from Vietnam war film "Apocalypse Now" before crashing into Iraqi homes to hunt gunmen on Saturday, as Shi'ite Muslims rallied against the U.S. occupation of Iraq (news - web sites). With the strains of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" still ringing in their ears and the clatter of helicopters overhead, soldiers rammed vehicles into metal gates and hundreds of troops raided houses in the western city of Ramadi after sunrise as part of a drive to...

BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. forces acting on an intelligence tip raided an abandoned Baghdad community hall early Saturday and seized documents that may contain information about Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction. The documents, bearing the seal of Saddam Hussein's secret service, were being handed over to senior intelligence analysts. Some papers referred to Iraq's nuclear program. About 50 soldiers stormed the building at about 1 a.m. after sealing off part of Baghdad's Azamiyah district - a centre of support for Saddam's ousted regime. The neighbourhood was where Saddam, or someone presenting himself as the Iraqi leader, last appeared in...

A crowd of Iraqis gather around a US trooper as he sits on his humvee while guarding a street in Fallujah, 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, Tuesday, June 10, 2003. The Iraqi city viewed as the hub of American hatred has become a success story of sorts. The occupiers and the occupied have parlayed their way to a relatively peaceful coexistence. (AP Photo Ali Haider) A US soldier is offered a glass of tea by Iraqi residents as he guards a street in Fallujah, Iraq (news - web sites), 50 kilometers west of Baghdad Tuesday June 10, 2003. The...

U.S. Forces May Have Found WMD Documents By JIM KRANE .c The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. forces acting on an intelligence tip raided an abandoned Baghdad community hall early Saturday and seized documents that may contain information about Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction. The documents, bearing the seal of Saddam Hussein's secret service, were being handed over to senior intelligence analysts. Some papers referred to Iraq's nuclear program. About 50 soldiers from the 1st Armored Division stormed the building at about 1 a.m. after sealing off part of Baghdad's Azamiyah district - a center of support...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. forces broke into an abandoned community hall early Saturday and found piles of intelligence equipment and top secret documents bearing the seal of the former Iraqi secret service. Upstairs above the hall, which also was used as a funeral parlor, the troops found two large rooms stacked with cryptograph machines, secure transmission devices and binders of documents, with more papers strewn on the floor. Some of the documents made reference to Iraq's nuclear program, including manifests for the delivery of communications equipment to the Iraqi nuclear agency. One letter, dated Feb. 7, 1998, from the...

Commander, U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno Wednesday, June 18, 2003 Maj. Gen. Odierno Videoteleconference from BaghdadThe 4th Infantry Division's 20,000 soldiers deployed later in the combat operations than other divisions, but all along, they represented a formidable combat force and played a pivotal role in the way this conflict was strategized and conducted. Today, their role is formidable in a different way as they work the front lines of the postwar stabilization process. Right now, over 27,000 troops of Task Force Iron Horse stand vigilant throughout a sprawling area that encompasses three provinces in northeastern...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — A U.S. soldier on patrol in northern Baghdad was killed by a single shot from a sniper, the military said Tuesday. Pvt. Shawn D. Pahnke was married to a Shelbyville woman, Elisha (Callis) Pahnke. Family members were notified of his death around 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. They were still expecting military personnel to arrive for a briefing Tuesday afternoon. Maj. Sean Gibson, a U.S. military spokesman, said 25-year-old Pahnke was shot in the chest late Monday, about 11:30 p.m. The bullet likely penetrated Pahnke's flak vest by entering at an angle that missed an armored ceramic...

* Iraq’s former air chief captured * US military compound near Baghdad attacked * Troops begin hunt for arms after deadline ends BAGHDAD: US troops unleashed overnight a new operation codenamed Desert Scorpion against forces loyal to ousted president Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq, a coalition spokesman said on Sunday. “It started last night, it is still ongoing,” said Sergeant 1st Class Brian Thomas from coalition Joint Task Force 7. “We are targeting anyone who is striking against US soldiers. Some of them are Baath Party members and some of them are against our peace efforts. We have detained people,...

US forces raid flashpoint town Falluja has seen many clashes between US troops and Iraqis US forces in Iraq have mounted a big operation to try to rein in the activities of militiamen still loyal to the ousted Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. About 1,300 soldiers from the US army's 3rd Infantry Division backed by tanks and helicopters raided the town of Falluja, west of Baghdad. The troops were acting on intelligence that Iraqi militia fighters are based in the town and that weapons are being stockpiled there for use against US forces. But three hours later they withdrew having made...