Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Thursday, 26 June 2008
MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq

Press Release A080626b-233
June 26, 2008

Al-Qaeda networks keep decaying

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces killed two terrorists, including an al-Qaeda in Iraq cell leader, during operations that netted 15 suspected terrorists in central and northern Iraq Thursday.

Coalition forces killed an al-Qaeda in Iraq cell leader near Sharqat, about 90 kilometers south of Mosul. Upon their arrival, Coalition forces observed two suspected terrorists from one targeted building move into another building. The force surrounded the building and called for them to come out, but the terrorists refused to comply with Coalition forces’ instructions. Perceiving them as a hostile threat, Coalition forces engaged and killed the two terrorists, who they discovered were armed with guns and grenades. One of them was identified as the targeted cell leader. Three additional suspects were detained for their alleged association with the cell, which conducts bombing operations targeting Iraqi and Coalition forces.

The AQI foreign terrorist network continued to be degraded as Coalition forces detained four wanted men during operations in Anbar and Ninewa provinces. In Abu Ghraib, just west of Baghdad, Coalition forces captured two Egyptian men who are believed to facilitate suicide operations in the area. Another wanted man captured near Abu Ghraib is suspected of providing logistical support, including weapons and suicide vests, to AQI foreign terrorists. Near Bi’aj, about 130 kilometers southwest of Mosul, Coalition forces detained two suspects, including one wanted for his alleged ties to senior leaders of the foreign terrorist facilitation network.

Using information from an operation May 11, Coalition forces tracked an alleged associate of AQI senior leaders to a remote area west of Sinjar, about 115 kilometers west of Mosul. They captured him and four additional suspects.

In Mosul, Coalition forces captured a suspected mid-level AQI leader believed to be associated with car bombings and other attacks. They detained an additional suspect during an operation targeting Mosul’s terrorist propaganda network.