Free Republic

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Dec. 23, 2005) – An Iraqi citizen provided a tip to Soldiers of the 7th Cavalry about a home in east Baghdad Dec. 22 that was being used as a factory to make improvised rocket-launchers. Elements of 3rd squadron, 7th Cavalry, raided the home and discovered 15 rocket-launchers were in the process of being built and one 57 millimeter rocket was competed and ready to be fired. No one was present in the home at the time of the raid. “It is encouraging that the Iraqi citizens are continuing to choose the side of the new...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2005 – Two Task Force Baghdad soldiers were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Baghdad today, military officials reported. The names of the soldiers are being withheld pending notification of their families. In other news from Iraq, soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, discovered a rocket factory and captured three suspected terrorists in two separate operations. A local citizen identified an eastern Baghdad home being used to make improvised rocket launchers. Soldiers raided the home Dec. 22 and discovered 15 rocket launchers were in the process of being built. One 57 mm...

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, returning to work Sunday a week after suffering a mild stroke, ordered the military to stop Palestinians from firing rockets at Israel from Gaza, officials said. Sharon's order, which included a no-go zone in northern Gaza, came after a weekly Cabinet meeting and high-level security consultations, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details. Since Israel pulled out of Gaza and removed its settlements this summer, militants have been moving closer to the Gaza-Israel fence to launch homemade rockets, bringing more Israeli towns and the city...