MNF Baghdad:WASHINGTON — Ten terrorists were killed and 16 captured in operations across Iraq Friday, military officials reported.
Northeast of Samarra, Coalition forces targeted an alleged al Qaeda in Iraq leader for the Kanan village. In the raid, forces killed eight terrorists, including the wanted individual. Seven suspects were detained. Also in Samarra, forces captured three suspected terrorists. One of the suspects allegedly is a leader for the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Samarra. Another is believed to be a direct associate of al Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership.
North of Tarmiyah, forces captured an alleged associate of the al Qaeda in Iraq network in Baghdad's northern belt. The suspect reportedly is responsible for providing information on Coalition operations in the area for use in planning attacks. Two others were detained.
In Baghdad, forces captured another alleged associate of the northern-belt network. The suspect is believed to have direct ties to the senior leader of the network and to terrorists involved in a car-bombing network in Karkh.
Coalition forces captured a suspected Iranian-supported "special groups" facilitator and killed an armed criminal in Baghdad. The target reportedly arranged for criminal militia members to receive training in Iran.
In operations north of Tal Afar, forces killed one suspected terrorist and wounded another. The wounded suspect was detained.
In northeastern Mosul, Coalition forces captured a suspect believed to be the replacement for the former Saudi al Qaeda in Iraq senior leader Abu Yasir al-Saudi, also known as Jar Allah, who was killed by Coalition forces Feb. 27. Three other suspects also were caught. Also, Coalition forces detained three suspects east of Tikrit while looking for an alleged weapons facilitator wanted for smuggling and kidnapping operations.
In other recent Iraq operations, Coalition forces detained Hajji Muhammad Shibl, an alleged top-tier criminal special groups leader, March 5 in the West Rashid district in southwestern Baghdad. Hajji Shibl is wanted as a key financier for criminal special groups who murder Iraqi civilians and security forces, officials said.
Iraqi security forces and "Sons of Iraq," a citizen's security group, detained four suspected terrorists March 5 in Baghdad.
Also on March 5, Sons of Iraq led Coalition forces to an al Qaeda in Iraq torture house and prison in northern Zambraniyah, and members of the Sons of Iraq turned two weapons caches over to Soldiers in Arab Jabour in two separate incidents the same day. Forces recovered six 120 mm projectiles, (20) 22 mm anti-aircraft rounds, and 300 heavy machine gun rounds.
Citizens in Arab Jabour unearthed a large weapons cache and turned it over to Soldiers March 5. The cache, loaded in a truck, held (111) 57 mm projectiles and (22) 60 mm projectiles. Each was rigged with detonation cord and packed with homemade explosives.
Also in Arab Jabour, local residents and Sons of Iraq turned over four weapons caches to Soldiers in separate operations March 4. The caches contained five 120 mm projectiles, four liters of homemade explosives, four pressure plates, three propane tanks, one 60 mm mortar and four 57 mm projectiles.
Iraqi Police recovered another large cache in a house south of Iskandariyah on March 4. The cache held (165) 1-pound blocks of C-4 explosive, 19 rocket-propelled grenades, five RPG launchers, a 60 mm mortar tube, (25) 107 mm high-explosive rockets and 23 rocket fuses, (10) 120 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, (84) 60 mm and (60) 81 mm high-explosive mortar rounds, along with six 60 mm mortar fuses.
The last reported US combat death was on February 25th.