Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, detained five individuals while conducting a company-sized operation in the city of DuraÂ’iya June 17.Operation Chosin supported the efforts of Marne Torch, an offensive operation against Al Qaeda strongholds around Baghdad recently announced by Secretary of Defense Robert W. Gates and Gen. David Petraeus, Multi-National Force-Iraq commander. The purpose of the mission, according to 1-15 Inf. leaders, was to disrupt key insurgent networks from freedom of maneuver in the battalionÂ’s area of operation.
The mission began as elements from 1-15 Inf. air assaulted into the vicinity of targeted houses late Saturday night. During the ground operation, several houses were searched for weapons and improvised explosive device- making materials resulting in the detention of five individuals and the seizure of one rifle. The 1-15 Inf. is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and is one of the U.S. ArmyÂ’s surge brigades.