Three Soldiers Killed During Separate Incidents in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2005 - One Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed south of Baghdad today. Another died in western Baghdad on Dec. 11. Both soldiers were killed when their patrols struck improvised explosive devices, military officials reported.

A third soldier, assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in a suicide car-bomb attack near Ramadi Dec. 11. Several U.S. Army units are attached to 2nd MEF (Forward) during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The names of all three soldiers are being withheld pending notification the families.

In other news from Iraq, Iraqi soldiers captured an insurgent associated with a failed kidnapping of an Iraqi civilian and confiscated an 82 mm mortar system during a raid Dec. 11.

Troops from the 1st Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 5th Iraqi Army Division, handed the suspect and cache over to authorities pending further investigation. No injuries or damages were reported.

In the skies over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 53 close-air-support missions Dec. 11 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force F-16s provided close-air support to coalition troops in contact with insurgent forces near Balad. Eleven U.S. Air Force and Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft also flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. British Royal Air Force fighter aircraft also performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command 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/]

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

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