Scouts from the 6th Iraqi Army Division detained an alleged extremist militant brigade commander and one other suspected terrorist Sept. 6 in Rahmaniyah, near Baghdad.The alleged brigade commander operates out of Karkh and leads a group of more than 750 insurgents to conduct improvised explosive device and sniper attacks against Coalition Forces and civilian contractors in the Aamel area. Both detainees are believed to be linked to a brutal attack in May that targeted Sunni residents in the Saddam Place apartments, which resulted in the deaths of 13 innocent civilians. The suspects are also alleged to have ties to an execution committee that is responsible for assassinating innocent civilians fighting for a safe and secure Iraq.
Intelligence reports indicate the suspects are cooperating with foreign fighters and assisting other insurgents in acquiring sniper training in Iran. In addition, one of the detainees has been facilitating meetings at a local mosque to hold clandestine meetings and to collect information on Coalition Forces.
In an earlier operation, Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained four ShiÂ’a extremist militants during an intelligence driven raid Sept. 6 in Baghdad. One of the targeted individuals is accused of murdering a member of ISOF and is further suspected of distributing ShiÂ’a extremist propaganda in Hay al Amel. A second detainee is reportedly to be physician who works in a public clinic in Hay Al Jameyat where he allegedly killed four other doctors. Forces detained two additional suspicious individuals during the mission.
U.S. Special Forces served as advisers during these operations. No Iraqi or Coalition Forces were injured during these raids.