Thursday, October 6
BAGHDAD: GRUNTS CONTINUE ROUNDING UP SCUZBALLS, TAKING GUNS N' AMMO
| October 6, 2005 BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers continued numerous offensive operations against terrorists in east Baghdad Oct. 2. Around 4 a.m., a dismounted Coalition Forces patrol in Sadr City discovered a parked vehicle with a heavy machine gun mount in a garage. The patrol conducted a hasty search of the house and found numerous illegal weapons and material to make improvised explosive devices, including 50 blasting caps and an igniter, two hand grenades, sights for rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine gun rounds, a bullet-proof vest, large amounts of ammunition for AK-47 assault rifles, and both Syrian and U.S. currency. Two individuals were detained and are being held pending processing into the Iraqi judicial system. “This was a significant find for us,” said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Phinney, a leader with the unit that made the arrests. “It really boosts morale when we make a positive impact on security in east Baghdad." “Aggressive dismounted patrolling is the key – it really pays off,” Phinney added. “If we had been conducting a mounted patrol, we might not have seen the truck. The more we patrol, the more information we gather and the more effective we become.” Phinney said working closely with the local Iraqi population is vital to his unit’s success in combat and security operations. “One of the keys to finding the terrorists is to get on the ground and listen to what the people tell us,” he said. “We then develop the situation and conduct refined searches based on that information.” In other combat operations around east Baghdad, an Iraqi Police patrol discovered a suspicious vehicle parked along a road around 6:30 a.m. The IPs, believing the sedan might be a car bomb, did not approach the car but were able to observe from a safe distance that there was a dead body inside. The IPs were concerned that a terrorist had placed the body in the car as bait, which is sometimes used as a terrorist ploy to bring potential targets closer to a vehicle before detonation in order to maximize casualties. In this case, the IPs believed, the bait was being used to kill first responders who would approach the body in the car. The police secured the area to prevent potential injury to pedestrians and commuters. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called to the scene. As the vehicle was being examined by remote methods, explosives inside the car detonated. There were no casualties. “It sickens me that the terrorists are willing to murder someone and use them as bait. We will probably never know who the victim in the car was but I can only imagine that he had a family and loved ones, and he was killed for absolutely no reason,” said Col. Joseph DiSalvo, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander. “I applaud the vigilance of the Iraqi Police who found this car bomb before it could be detonated.” Later, around 9 a.m., Coalition Forces working with Iraqi Police responded to a report of rockets being fired in the vicinity of the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior building. The IPs and Iraqi Army forces descended upon the suspected origin of the rocket fire. Within an hour, the Iraqi forces discovered a suspicious ice cream truck parked near a soccer stadium. A search revealed that the vehicle was disguised as an ice cream truck and used for launching rockets. Further investigation revealed the vehicle had recently launched four rockets; one of which hit a local civilian’s vehicle, causing the death of one Iraqi citizen and wounding another. The other three rockets caused no casualties and little damage. “These improvised weapons systems are of dubious military value. It is almost impossible to know where the rockets will land. When the terrorists try to employ these weapons, you can expect the collateral damage will be great,” said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Bennett, a fire support expert in 2nd BCT. Weblog LINK |
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