January 27, 2005Release Number: 05-01-107FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETASK FORCE 1-18, ISF SOLDIERS FOIL POLLING SITE ATTACKTIKRIT, Iraq -- Alpha Company, 1-112 Infantry, a National Guard company based out of the Pittsburgh area, and Soldiers from the 201st Iraqi Army Battalion established a hasty traffic control point Jan. 22 north of Tikrit, in the area called Kadasia, and swiftly apprehended two insurgents.The Soldiers operating the traffic control point identified the suspected vehicle as it approached their position, slowed the vehicle and instructed the passengers to get out of the car. The occupants of the vehicle, one of whom was an Iraqi National Police officer, were found in possession of a 120-millimeter artillery round wired as an improvised explosive device.The Explosive Ordinance Disposal team arrived on site and destroyed the device. Through questioning, the insurgents revealed their plan to place the explosive device at an elections polling site in the area. The intelligence developed by the Tikrit Joint Coordination Center increases the Iraqi Security Forces’ ability to react to actionable intelligence and thwart insurgents schemes to disrupt Iraqi elections.Lieutenant Colonel Amir, the 201st Iraqi Army executive officer, was pleased with the progress of his staff in developing intelligence.“Our battalion operates better every day, and today we showed that we can make the elections safe,” he said. (Story by Capt. Michael Prudhomme, Task Force 1-18 Infantry)