Soldier Killed; Iraq Operations Net Weapons, Suspects
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2005 � A U.S. soldier was killed and two others were wounded in a roadside-bomb during a combat logistics patrol Oct. 18 near Iskandariyah, Iraq, military officials reported.
The soldier killed was assigned to 56th Brigade Combat Team. The soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of family.
In other news, Task Force Baghdad and Iraqi security forces discovered weapons caches and detained several suspects Oct. 18 and today.
Today, soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, conducted a raid in Camel, detaining three terror suspects. They also confiscated ammunition and explosives, including 3,000 rounds of assorted 7.2 mm and 9 mm ammunition, 12 full AK-47 rifle magazines, and materials to make improvised explosive devices. The detainees are suspected of selling IEDs and weapons in the area.
Elsewhere, a special tactics unit detained three suspected terrorists in a raid in Saydiyah today.
In addition, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, joined Iraqi commandos from 1st Battalion, 2nd Commando Brigade, to conduct a raid in Dora, in southern Baghdad, on the evening of Oct. 18.
The target house held six terrorists suspected of conducting rocket-propelled-grenade attacks on Iraqi security force checkpoints. The U.S. soldiers provided the outer cordon while Iraqi forces conducted the raid.
Elsewhere in Baghdad, Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad soldiers captured a terror suspect in southern Baghdad, seized a weapons cache in western Baghdad, and stopped eight terrorist bomb attacks. Tips from Iraqi citizens helped one patrol find the weapons cache and another unit disable a roadside bomb before terrorists could use it.
The first tip came from an Iraqi man who told Iraqi security forces from 1st Battalion, 4th Public Order Brigade, that he'd seen a bomb in a southern Baghdad district. The Iraqi forces investigated and found five mortar rounds wired together. They stopped traffic in both directions as a safety precaution, and a team of explosives experts safely detonated the bomb.
U.S. soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, also detained a man acting suspiciously at a traffic control point in southern Baghdad. When the soldiers searched the suspect, they found paperwork concerning an improvised explosive device or ammunitions cache. The suspect was detained for questioning.
Later, another Iraqi citizen volunteered to lead coalition forces from 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, to a weapons cache in western Baghdad. The unit discovered a cache containing 10 rocket-propelled-grenade rounds and numerous 60 mm mortar rounds.
Other coalition forces found seven roadside bombs at various locations throughout Baghdad before terrorists could use them. Explosive ordnance disposal teams safely disabled each of the bombs.
In other news from Iraq, U.S. soldiers from Task Force Liberty followed a civilian tip to a cache of 85 anti-tank mines near Hamrin, in Diyala province.
A local citizen was digging in the area when he uncovered the munitions and immediately reported it to coalition forces. The anti-tank mines discovered are of the same type recently used in IED attacks. Task Force Liberty explosive ordnance personnel removed the munitions for future disposal.
Also on Oct. 18, coalition forces destroyed a terrorist safe house in Karabala, where two al Qaeda terror cells were attempting to meet and reorganize following successful coalition operations.
Coalition air forces delivered precision-guided munitions that destroyed the terrorist safe house. The type of munitions used and the timing of the air strike mitigated the risk to civilians in the local area, according to U.S. officials.
Multiple intelligence sources had identified the terrorist safe house, which was used as both an operational base and safe haven.
In the skies over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 46 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Oct. 18 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities. Coalition aircraft also supported Iraqi and coalition ground forces operations to create a secure environment for ongoing Transitional National Assembly meetings.
U.S. Air Force F-16s performed a successful air strike against an improvised explosive device-staging area near Tikrit, expending GBU-38 and GBU-12 500-pound bombs. U.S. Navy F/A-18s performed a successful air strike against a building used by insurgents in the vicinity of Karabala, expending one GBU-38.
Other sorties included U.S. Air Force F-16s and F-15s and U.S. Navy F/A-18s, which provided close-air support to coalition troops near Hawijah, Baghdad, Basrah, Bayji, Mosul and Tikrit. The Air Force and Navy also provided 13 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that flew missions in support of OIF operations. Also, U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.