Soldiers from the 3rd Iraqi Army Division, supported by Coalition helicopters, killed seven unknown enemy fighters after they were observed emplacing an improvised explosive device near a culvert Sept. 25 near TalÂ’Afar. After positively identifying the group and engaging them, the CF aircraft radioed for an IA patrol to proceed from the ground. As they approached, the IA patrol killed two enemy fighters attempting to flee the culvert IED site. IA soldiers confirmed three additional terrorists were killed in the earlier engagement by CF aircraft. As the IA soldiers began to investigate the culvert, they repelled an ambush by two enemy fighters, killing both.
“These enemies of Iraq were planting bombs designed to kill innocent civilians,” said Capt. Mohammad, spokesperson for the 3rd Iraqi Army Division. “Our Iraqi Army soldiers, supported by Coalition aircraft, were able to stop them before they managed to complete their task.”
Upon investigation of the culvert IED site, IA soldiers found a small cache of seven IEDs ready for emplacement with approximately 5-8 pounds of homemade explosives each.