Soldier Dies in Roadside Bomb Explosion

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2005 - A soldier assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in an improvised explosive device attack while conducting combat operations against the enemy in Hit, Iraq, Nov. 25, military officials reported today.

The soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

In other news from Iraq, about 150 Iraqi army soldiers and 400 coalition troops including U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team attached to the 2nd Marine Division kicked off Operation Tigers this morning in eastern Ramadi.
Operation Tigers is the fourth in a series of disruption operations executed by the Iraqi army and coalition forces to set the conditions for a successful Dec. 15 election in the capital city of Iraq's Anbar province, officials said.

The previous operations, which began Nov. 16, were called Panthers, Bruins and Lions. Since they began, the Ramadi operations have resulted in the death or capture of numerous terrorists and the discovery of several weapons caches that included surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, mortar rounds, artillery rounds, hand grenades, land mines, small arms, small-arms ammunition and IED-making equipment, officials said.

Cordon-and-search operations -- blocking off known terrorist escape routes and searching for weapons and terrorists in the targeted areas -- are incorporated as part of Operation Tigers, officials explained.

U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces found a large weapons cache while conducting a joint patrol in Baghdad's North Babil district on the afternoon of Nov. 24, officials said.

Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and Iraqi army soldiers from 4th Battalion, 5th Brigade, discovered 15 125 mm mortar rounds, 20 heavy-machine gun rounds, six 60 mm mortar rounds, and two boxes of 14.5 mm ammunition. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called to the scene and conducted a controlled detonation of the munitions.

in the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 43 close-air-support missions Nov. 25. These missions included support to Coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities. Coalition aircraft also supported Iraqi and Coalition ground forces operations to create a secure environment for ongoing Transitional National Assembly meetings.

In addition, 11 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

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