Officials in Iraq Report on Recent Mosul-Area Operations

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2005 - U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers and police captured dozens of suspected terrorists and seized large caches of weapons during raids and military operations over the past week in and around Mosul, Iraqi's third largest city, military officials reported today.

Iraqi security forces and soldiers from Task Force Freedom teamed up to capture 46 suspected terrorists and seized weapons caches in northern Iraq during that period.

In Mosul, Iraqi army soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Division, along with U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, seized a large weapons cache Dec. 12.

The cache included Russian-made AK-47 assault rifles with multiple loaded magazines, a sniper rifle with loaded magazines, an anti-aircraft missile launcher with four missiles, more than 100 rounds of ammunition, 500 more linked rounds of ammunition, a semi-automatic pistol, an automatic rifle, hand grenades, rocket propelled grenade launchers with ammunition and high explosives. Suspects are in custody with no Iraqi or U.S. injuries reported.

Iraqi soldiers from 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, captured three more suspected terrorists Dec. 9.

Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Division, detained two suspected terrorists during a raid Dec. 8.

Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, and Iraqi police captured three suspected terrorists and seized loaded AK-47 rifle magazines during a raid Dec. 5.

Elsewhere in Mosul, Iraqi police arrested an individual suspected of placing several improvised explosive devices near an election site Dec.10.

Also in Mosul, Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, detained three people suspected of terrorist activity during operations Dec. 10.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, detained five men suspected of terrorist activities. The soldiers seized an anti-tank mine, detonators and a timer Dec. 5. The soldiers also are credited with detaining eight individuals suspected of terrorist activity during operations Dec. 6-10.

Officials said the unit detained another 10 suspected terrorists during a raid Dec. 7. Soldiers from 4th Squadron, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity during operations Dec. 9.

In Tal Afar, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, detained a suspected terrorist Dec. 5. The infantry soldiers also discovered a cache of AK-47 bandoleers, a 120 mm round, TNT-filled canisters, sticks of TNT, anti-U.S. propaganda and various improvised explosive device materials.

More IED-making materials were found and six insurgents were captured by soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, during operations Dec. 9.

In other Iraq operations over the past week, Task Force Baghdad soldiers and Iraqi security forces detained 13 suspected terrorists and located a weapons cache during pre-election operations Dec. 9 and 10.

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, captured three suspected terrorists during a cordon-and-search operation Dec. 9.

During two different operations Dec. 10, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, soldiers detained six additional suspects and seized a weapons cache that included six AK-47 assault rifles, 13 AK-47 magazines, a bag of money and a hand grenade. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, also conducted an assault operation that led to the capture of three suspects in the Dora neighborhood Dec. 9.

In other operations, Iraqi forces assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Public Order Brigade, detained a suspected terrorist Dec. 9 in eastern Rasheed.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

Related Sites:

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

Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq [http://www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil]

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