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Press Release A080610a-208
June 10, 2008

Baghdad’s AQI leaders under pressure; three wanted men captured

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured three wanted men and two of their associates in Baghdad Monday.

Using information from an operation May 27, Coalition forces captured two wanted men, one of whom is allegedly a leader in an al-Qaeda in Iraq group. The two men, captured with two associates, allegedly belong to an AQI group with roots in Anbar province, but currently operating in the northern belt around Baghdad. The men are suspected to have ties with AQI leaders in the capital.

Also in Baghdad, Coalition forces captured an alleged AQI leader with long-standing ties to various terrorist networks, including AQI’s bombing network and other terrorist leaders. During the operation, a man ignored several warnings and approached the security perimeter. After repeated warnings to halt his advance, including warning shots, Coalition forces perceived a hostile threat and engaged the man, killing him.

“The Iraqi people have grown weary of terrorists and criminals,” said Lt. Patrick Evans, MNF-I spokesperson. “They have increasingly begun to partner with Iraqi and Coalition forces to capture and disrupt terrorist and criminal networks.”

Also from MNFI

Iraqi and Coalition forces kill three al-Qaeda terrorists (Kirkuk)

BAGHDAD – Iraqi and Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained five suspects in northern Iraq while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq and its foreign terrorist facilitation network Tuesday.

Iraqi and Coalition forces targeted an al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist with a long history with terrorist activities around Kirkuk. When forces arrived at the target area, about 50 kilometers southwest of the city, three armed men refused to comply with instructions to surrender. Responding to the perceived hostile threat, Iraqi and Coalition forces engaged the armed men with small arms fire and supporting aircraft, killing all three terrorists. Inside the target building, Iraqi and Coalition forces discovered rocket-propelled grenades and homemade explosives, which they safely destroyed on site.

Coalition forces continued to use detainee reporting to target foreign terrorist facilitators in northwest Iraq, detaining three suspects and destroying four terrorist hideouts.

Information from an operation May 27 led Coalition forces to Mosul, where they captured a wanted man believed to be involved in a Baghdad car-bombing network. One additional suspected terrorist was detained in the operation.

“The combined forces are removing terrorists from northern Iraq, reducing the effectiveness of AQI and increasing the quality of life for the Iraqi citizens,” said Navy Lt. David Russell, MNFI spokesman.