Coalition Forces Kill Two Terrorists, Detain 22

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2008 - Coalition forces killed two terrorists and detained 22 suspects today during operations in central and northern Iraq.

-- Northeast of Samarra, forces killed two and detained 10 suspects. Forces also found several weapons in the area. Nearby, forces detained another four suspects. They also found three terrorist safe houses and medical supplies and destroyed three weapons caches.

-- During two operations northwest of Samarra, coalition forces detained four suspects.

-- In Baghdad, forces captured an alleged weapons handler. The suspect reportedly is responsible for a recent shipment of homemade explosives and is connected to car-bomb cells in the city. Two others were detained.

-- Coalition forces captured an alleged foreign terrorist facilitator southwest of Biaj.

In operations yesterday:

-- Near Mahmudiyah, forces captured the alleged overall leader of the Arab Jabour al Qaeda network. Nine other suspects were detained, and one was wounded in the operation. At the site, forces found bomb-making parts and hiding places for personnel and equipment.

-- In Baghdad, coalition forces detained three suspects, including one suspected of managing bombs, vehicles and suicide bombers for use by terrorist networks throughout the capital city region.

-- North of Tarmiyah, forces captured a suspect with ties to an al Qaeda senior leader in Baghdad's northern belt. He reportedly is involved in kidnapping operations and has associates throughout the Baghdad and Tarmiyah area. Three other suspects were detained in the operation.

-- Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists in Tikrit yesterday with ties to senior al Qaeda leadership in the region. Two others were detained during operations northwest of Biaj.

-- Two suspects were detained in Mosul.

In March 11 operations:

-- In Baghdad, forces detained two suspects. One has ties to senior al Qaeda leadership in the area, and the other has ties to a homemade-bomb facilitator, officials said.

-- Soldiers captured five suspects, four of whom are suspected of involvement in a suicide attack that killed five U.S. soldiers and their interpreter in central Baghdad on March 10.

-- Iraqi police recovered a weapons cache in Salahuddin province. The cache was northeast of Samarra in an area known for multiple caches and safe-haven locations for insurgents. The cache included 60 mm mortar rounds, 82 mm mortar rounds, 60 mm mortar tubes, boosters and several pounds of smokeless dynamite powder.

Earlier, Iraqi army soldiers stopped four suspected terrorists building a car bomb March 9 near the Rissala neighborhood market in Mosul. The Iraqi army evacuated civilians from the market area, and forces searched and found four anti-armor homemade bombs made of crude explosively formed penetrators hidden in a popcorn cart.

(Compiled from Multinational Force and Multinational Corps Iraq releases.)

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