Iraqi tips lead to terrorists

[Hannibal]

January 17, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, Jan. 17, 2006) -- Iraqi civilians are tiring of terrorist activity and many are providing useful tips identifying terrorists and their weapons caches, and some are even attacking the terrorists, say leaders of the coalition forces.

Mosul tips net shooter

Iraqi civilians in Mosul led Iraqi police and a patrol from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team to the house of an anti-Iraqi forces man wanted for a drive-by shooting Jan. 15.

Iraqi police reported that a vehicle approached and began to fire at them Sunday with an automatic rifle. The car sped away and the police were unable to follow it in dense traffic.

Many of the citizens who witnessed the event provided information concerning the direction the vehicle traveled. The Soldiers came to the assistance of the police, as they continued to follow up on a train of tips until the final tip led them directly to the suspect’s residence.

The troops cordoned the area around the house as the police performed a search that turned up the car involved with the shooting as well as the man responsible.

Baghdad tip stops ambush

A young girl phoned in a tip of a possible roadside bomb to coalition forces Jan. 14, potentially saving lives.

The girl reported seeing a white bag in a hole on a road in southeast Baghdad. When Soldiers investigated, they found a man hiding in the grass by the road, as well as four masked men in a car.

A man carrying an AK-47 rifle and talking on a cell phone was observed walking over to two triggermen, who were in the prone shooting position, preparing to carry out an attack.

The Soldiers called in attack aviation, which destroyed the terrorists’ position.

Iraqis tiring of terrorism

Some Iraqis, who are tired of violence and other terrorist interference in their lives have begun to attack al Qaeda operatives, said Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, commanding general of Multinational Corps-Iraq and the 18th Airborne Corps.

"Al Qaeda is increasingly in disarray and we have pursued, captured and killed a large number of them,” Vines said.

Vines pointed out that Iraqi security forces are quickly taking the lead in the fight against anti-Iraqi forces.

"The capacity of the Iraqi security forces is exponentially greater" than it was a year ago, he said.

(David Vergun compiled this article from Multi-National Force-Iraq news releases.)