Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained a extremist militant company commander and a cell member Sept. 15 during an operation in Ad Diwaniyah. During the operation, enemy fighters initiated an attack on Iraqi and U.S. Forces with an improvised explosive device, small arms and machine gun fire. The forces returned well-aimed and proportional fire to eliminate the threat, killing three enemy fighters and wounding several others.
Intelligence indicates the extremist commander leads more than 20 enemy forces, who are responsible for launching improvised explosive device, explosively formed penetrator and indirect fire attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces in the area.
On July 5, the group attacked the Coalition base in Ad Diwaniyah with indirect fires. Further intelligence reports that the group has launched more than 450 rocket and mortar attacks on the base during the past four months.
Reports also indicate this group assaulted the local police station on July 7 of this year, killed two Iraqi police officers and then fired on Coalition forces rushing to aid the police.
In a separate operation Sept. 15 in the Bayaa area of Baghdad, ISOF detained an extremist militant battalion commander. The suspect is linked to extra judicial killings, kidnappings and the forcible removal of Sunni residents from the same area.