Thursday, May 18, 2006

Coalition Forces Respond to Hostile Activity in Ramadi

Coalition forces engaged several insurgents near an abandoned train station in southeastern Ramadi, Iraq, May 16 in response to repeated hostile activity. It was the seventh day since May 7 that coalition forces engaged insurgents in the area.

Troops observed several insurgents moving a weapon from the train station to a vehicle nearby. Coalition forces engaged the insurgents with artillery, killing several insurgents and destroying the weapon. Troops saw one of the insurgents leave the area with the vehicle.

Later in the day, troops observed several more insurgents with weapons taking positions on a rooftop near the train station. Insurgents are known to use the rooftop to conduct sniper attacks, U.S. officials said. Coalition forces engaged the building with grenades and an "air-delivered munition," killing some of the insurgents.

Troops saw two remaining insurgents flee into another building, and coalition forces engaged the building with additional air-delivered munitions, killing the remaining insurgents. Troops later observed insurgents with weapons moving again at the train station. They engaged the insurgents with artillery, killing the insurgents.

Also on May 16, Iraqi security forces searched a mosque in Ramadi, and coalition forces investigated reports of a destroyed Iraqi police station near Hit.

Iraqi army soldiers found 7.62 mm ammunition and a communications device in the northeastern Ramadi mosque, which was not damaged during the search.

In Zuwayyah, about 10 kilometers southeast of Hit, coalition forces found that an Iraqi police station's roof had collapsed and three walls inside the building had been destroyed in an unexplained explosion. The damage was reported during a meeting between troops and local civilians.

There were no reports of coalition or civilian casualties as a result of these incidents.

In other news from Iraq, Multinational Force Iraq released 79 male detainees from coalition-run theater internment facilities yesterday.

The Iraqi-led Combined Review and Release Board reviewed the individuals' files and recommended release.

The board was established in August 2004 and consists of members from the Iraqi ministries of Human Rights, Justice and Interior, as well as officers from multinational forces. To date, the board has reviewed the cases of more than 38,600 detainees, recommending more than 19,450 individuals for release, U.S. officials said.
(Above courtesy of DoD - American Forces Press Service and compiled from MNF-I news releases)

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