Dear Interested Friends,
For those of you who are unfamiliar with some of the abbreviations, there is a glossary on the website. Feel free to make a copy to keep handy. There are some great stories of many large weapon caches found, and more terrorists captured or killed. Salmon Park has a new market open for business; children overjoyed with our humanitarian efforts, and freedom of the press is alive and well in Baghdad!
Joanna
____________________________
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
March 13, 2008
MND-B Soldiers thwart ambush attempt, discover cache
BAGHDAD - In the northern portions of the Adhamiya district of Baghdad March 11, a patrol from the 3rd BCT, 4th ID, was attacked by small-arms fire after the Soldiers entered the village while responding to reports of mortar activity.
An air weapons team on site positively identified and engaged the suspected criminals in 3 vehicles. The attack resulted in one suspected criminal being wounded and 3 vehicles disabled.
When the Soldiers reentered the village, they spoke with residents who alerted them to the location of a possible munitions cache. Following the tip, the Soldiers seized 85 mm rockets, rocket launchers, mortars, a 122 mm projectile and 40 mm grenades.
Three suspected criminals were also detained in connection with the attack.
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MND-B Soldiers detain suspected IED maker in Karadah
BAGHDAD - March 12, Soldiers from 4th BCT, 10th ID (Light), conducted a mission to detain the suspect, who tested positive for explosive materials.
MND-B intel officials believe the detention of the suspect, who is allegedly involved in the production of IEDs, will hinder attacks on Iraqi SF and CF.
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Salman Pak market opens for business
By Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div.
Sgt. Osama Emilio, HQ Troop, 3rd HBCT, hands candy to a local girl from Salman Pak who waits with scissors to cut a ribbon opening the new Salman Pak market, March 11.
COP CARVER — The market consists of 7 stores including 2 restaurants, a supermarket, an electronics shop, a photo shop, a sweets store and a cell phone store.
Capt. Mathew Givens, projects planner for the 1st Bn, 15th Inf Regt, said planning for the market began last December when 1-15th Inf. Regt. Soldiers in the area saw run-down shops where the new market now stands. Givens said, “We chose the area because there is so much going on and it is at the beginning of the main part of town.” Leaders of the 1-15 Inf. Regt. provided store owners with microgrants enabling them to refurbish their stores.
Givens attributes much of the success of the project to the improved security in Salman Pak. After the opening ceremony, Salman Pak leaders were invited back to COP Carver for a luncheon hosted by Lt. Col. Jack Marr, cmdr of the 1-15 Inf. Regt.
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MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq
March 13, 2008
Coalition targets facilitation networks, terrorist safe havens; two killed, 24 detained
BAGHDAD – CF killed 2 terrorists and detained 24 suspects Wednesday and today during ops to disrupt al-Qaeda networks operating in central and northern Iraq.
During an op in Baghdad today, CF captured an alleged weapons facilitator associated with the city's al Qaeda-in-Iraq network. The suspect is reportedly responsible for a recent shipment of homemade explosives, and has connections to the AQI leadership and VBIED cells in Baghdad. In addition to the wanted individual, the ground force detained 2 suspected terrorists on site.
Northeast of Samarra near the Hamrin Mountains today, CF detained 10 suspected terrorists, including an alleged associate of the region's AQI network. Reports indicate the region is a known AQI and foreign terrorist safe haven, transient location and facilitation route. During the op, the ground force repeatedly called for the occupants in the target buildings to come out, but 2 individuals did not comply with instructions. After some time, the individuals finally emerged and began maneuvering towards the ground force. The suspects were directed to stop but did not comply. Perceiving hostile intent, CF engaged, killing 2 terrorists. CF also found several weapons in the target area, which were safely destroyed on site.
Nearby, CF detained 4 suspected terrorists during a 2-day op in the region. The ground force discovered 3 terrorist safe houses, located various medical supplies and destroyed 3 caches of weapons to prevent further use by terrorists.
During 2 ops northwest of Samarra today, CF detained 4 suspected terrorists while targeting an alleged foreign terrorist facilitator and associates of a media cell leader involved in the al-Anbar AQI network.
CF detained another 3 suspected terrorists during continued efforts to disrupt al-Qaeda ops in northern Iraq. Southwest of Bi'aj, CF captured an alleged foreign terrorist facilitator with connections throughout the AQI network, including ties to a senior level facilitator operating outside of Iraq. Also, 2 suspected terrorists were detained in Mosul Wednesday while targeting an alleged associate of AQI senior leaders operating in the region.
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Significant caches found in Anbar
AL ANBAR PROVINCE – IP discovered 2 significant weapons caches in Anbar Province over the past 7 days.
The first cache was discovered west of Rawah, March 7 and the second in Fallujah March 11. Hassa IP, near Rawah, discovered and reported a weapons cache on a farm. At the site, a young sheep herder directed Marines to 3 more caches. The boy claimed to have seen the farm’s owner bury items at night with a bulldozer. The caches had all been emplaced within the week but the majority of the items buried were unserviceable.
The second cache consisted of 300 electric blasting caps, 300 improvised squibs, Russian PD fuses, Russian 82mm HE mortar rounds, 200 Spanish PD fuses, 188 Yugoslavian PD fuses, 250 non-electric blasting caps, and 28 Chinese 107mm HE rockets. There was a 3rd and 4th cache found with similar materials.
A follow up cache sweep conducted by EOD March 9 resulted in the discovery of 7 additional cache sites in this area. Hassa IP has taken the owner of the farm into custody.
The Rawah combined cache find items weigh more than 2,600 pounds. This combined cache totals more than 8,800 items.
The Fallujah IP discovered another weapons cache while conducting an intel-driven dismounted cache sweep of a city residence March 11. While searching the residence, Fallujah IP discovered the weapons cache in a room hidden behind a false wall, that contained additional items of the weapons cache.
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Thumbs Up
Iraqi children show their enthusiasm as US Soldiers conduct a humanitarian aid mission in Al Makum March 4, 2008. The Soldiers are from 3rd Bn, 6th FAR, 1st BCT, 10th Mtn Div.
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Freedom of the Press
US Army Sgt. Jamie Rivas hands out an issue of the "Baghdad Now" newspaper to an Iraqi woman in the Rashid district of Baghdad, March 11, 2008. Rivas is assigned to the 312th Tactical
Psychological Ops Co.
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