Coalition Forces intercepted an ambulance carrying seven suspected al-Qaida operatives attempting to circumvent security elements operating in Baqouba, June 19.Local doctors called the Diyala Provincial Joint Coordination Center and reported five children injured near Khatoon, a neighborhood in southwest Baqouba, Iraq. The PJCC dispatched an ambulance to that location.
Later, the ambulance was seen heading north on a road northwest of New Baqouba when it bypassed the road that led to the hospital.
The ambulance was stopped by alert Soldiers from 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., who are conducting missions in the area as part of Operation Arrowhead Ripper.
Soldiers checked the ambulance and found a driver and six men, who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s, two of which were injured. There were no children in the ambulance.
CF provided medical treatment to the wounded men and detained all seven.
“Using emergency service vehicles to move fighters and equipment is a common tactic of al-Qaida in Iraq,” said Col. Steve Townsend, commander of 3rd SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. “We are controlling ambulances and other service vehicles in the city to ensure they are being used legitimately.”
ISF and Coalition Soldiers continue to use a variety of security measures to prevent al-Qaida operatives from using emergency response vehicles to move fighters, munitions or as a disguise for car bombs.