American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2005
Coalition air forces conducted an air strike against a terrorist safe house in the vicinity of Husaybah, Iraq, near the Syrian border, shortly after 1 a. m. today, military officials said.
A known bomb-making cell leader, Abu Mohammad, was targeted in the safe house strike.
Mohammad has been linked extensively to other al Qaeda terrorists and foreign fighters in Husaybah and throughout the western Euphrates Valley. Also, he is known to have worked directly for Abu Islam, an al Qaeda leader in Husaybah, who was killed by a coalition air strike last week.
Intelligence sources confirm that Abu Muhammad is known to have been involved in numerous car-bomb and improvised-explosive-device attacks on coalition forces, according to military officials in Iraq. He is also responsible for numerous direct attacks on Iraqi security and coalition forces.
Intelligence sources place Abu Mohammad in the tribal fighting that has occurred in Husaybah, where al Qaeda terrorists murdered local Iraqis who opposed al Qaeda, officials said.
The type of munitions used and the time of the air strike mitigated the risk to civilians in the local area, officials said.
Elsewhere, a soldier assigned to 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward) died on Sept. 7 in an industrial accident on Camp Taqaddum. No further details were available.
The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
In other developments, Iraqi security forces and multinational forces from Task Force Freedom killed seven terrorists and detained another seven Sept. 7 and today.
Iraqi army soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, detained six individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a cordon-and-search operation in Tal Afar. U. S. soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, killed four terrorists who were preparing an ambush in Tal Afar Sept. 7.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, killed three more terrorists after receiving small-arms fire in Tal Afar today.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity during a cordon-and-search operation in Mosul Sept. 7.
In other operations, Iraqi police officers killed five insurgents after being fired upon Sept. 6 in the Haynoon area of Mosul.
A squad of police officers from the Moderyit Abetamime police station were attacked by gunmen in two vehicles and returned fire. Both insurgent vehicles exploded when shot, and all five attackers were killed. Police were able to recover four of the five bodies, which were later taken to the Mosul Hospital. There were no police casualties.
In other Iraq news, Iraqi security forces found and neutralized an IED Sept. 7 in Baqubah. The device consisted of a 155 mm artillery round with a timing device. Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal personnel cleared the IED.
In the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 36 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Sept. 6 for 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 strike in the vicinity of Jaramil. The F-16s successfully expended two GBU-38 500-pound bombs against terrorists. Other U. S. Air Force F-16s provided close air support to coalition troops in contact with terrorists in the vicinity of Hawija.
Ten U. S. Air Force, U. S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. U. S. Air Force and British Royal Air Force fighter aircraft also performed in a non-traditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, Multinational Force Northwest and U. S. Central Command Air Forces news releases.)
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