A Soldier's Perspective

CJ IED Roll-Up

I wanted to inform everyone about the "other" side of IEDs; the side that doesn't explode or is found before it detonates. Many may feel like the only time we see or hear IEDs is when they go off and soldiers are wounded. As a matter of fact, many IEDs are found before they are able to be detonated against anyone. Some are found AS they're being laid on the ground. And yet more are found in various stages of production. This is just a ONE WEEK sample. This is happening almost on a weekly basis the exact same way. So, here we go:

Sep 24 – An Iraqi citizen's tip helped Iraqi Army soldiers sieze a weapons cache to be used for IEDs. The cache consisted of 84 mortar rounds, five rockets, six anti-tank rockets, 18 RPGs and ammunition. Iraqi soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade, 6th Division planned and conducted the entire mission.

Sep 24 – Iraqi Security Forces found and cleared an improvised explosive device. The bomb was discovered by an Iraqi Police patrol and consisted of a single 155mm artillery round. The device was secured by an Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team. An Iraqi Army patrol found an IED the same day alongside a road in Tikrit. It consisted of a 155mm artillery round and a detonation device. An Iraqi EOD team cleared the scene.

Sep 25 – Iraqi police discovered an IED on the side of a road here. The IED consisted of a Katusha rocket and a 120mm artillery round with a radio-controlled detonation mechanism. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team disarmed the IED and cleared the site.

Sep 25 – Information from Iraqi citizens helped Iraqi Army and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers capture a suspected bomb emplacer and uncover a weapons cache. Iraqi soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized), acting on the first tip, nabbed the suspected bomber at a traffic control point in north Baghdad. When the Soldiers searched the suspect’s vehicle, they found traces of explosives inside. The suspect was taken into custody for questioning. The second tip led Task Force Baghdad Soldiers to a weapons cache submerged in a pond in east Baghdad the same day. The Soldiers drained the pond and found five rockets, one rocket-propelled grenade launcher and eight hand grenades. An explosives ordnance disposal team safely disposed of the munitions.

Sept. 25 – Task Force Baghdad soldiers (11th ACR) acted on a tip to seize a weapons cache containing many IED components to include: 85 mortar rounds, 14 rockets, two artillery rounds, 38 RPG launchers, 144 RPGs, three anti-tank weapons, 20 hand grenades, bomb making material, 100 feet of detonation cord and three mortar tubes.

Sep 25 – Iraqi Army troops and Coalition forces found a stockpile of IED materials during a search of a house. During the search, troops found a stash of IED materials: cameras, flares, cell phones, motorcycle batteries, metal and PVC tubing.

Sep 26 – Task Force Baghdad soldier, acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, captured seven suspected terrorists and discovered three IEDs. After receiveing a tip that a large bomb was buried beneath a road in south Baghdad, soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd ACR discovered exposed wires leading from the suspected bomb to a nearby house. The unit raided the house, seized the suspects and found a series of linked roadside bombs at the site. The largest of the three bombs contained more than 200 pounds of homemade explosives. The other two IEDs each consisted of two artillery rounds.

Sep 27 – Iraqi Army soldiers found an IED in Balad. A search revealed a wire running from the road to the edge of a nearby river, where soldiers found a 130mm artillery round hidden in a storage shed.

Sep 28 – Task Force Baghdad soldiers find a cache of IED making components thanks to a citizen tip. Three suspects were detained and the following was found: 175 sticks of dynamite, 109 grenades, 59 82mm mortars, 53 122mm artillery rounds, 46 anti-personnel mines, 28 RPGs, 24 122mm mortar rounds, 23 fragmentation grenades, 20 blasting caps, six 107mm rockets, two 7-foot rocket launders, one 57mm missile, 20 pounds of TNT and assorted fuses and ammunition.

Sep 28 – A 4th Iraqi Army Division patrol captured five terrorists as they were planting an IED. The men were seen unraveling detonation cord attached to the bomb buried in the shoulder of the road. The IED consisted of two 130mm Chinese-made artillery illumination rounds.

Sept 29 – Iraqi police and EOD (explosive ordnance) neutralize a bomb after resonding to a report of an initial explosion. An Iraqi EOD team found the secondary device on the scene and defused it as police cordoned off the area. The device consisted of a small amount of explosive in a plastic bottle and had been placed outside a private residence.

The important thing to notice in all these instances is the fact that many of them were discovered thanks to a tip from an Iraqi citizen. If this isn't proof that we're making progress in Iraq, there's nothing more we can do to convince people. Not only are the citizens more comfortable tipping off American soldiers, but their own Iraqi military and police personnel are being trusted with this information. Iraqis are going to their local police and reporting what they know.

Thanks to Media Lies and Mudville Gazette and Right Wing Sparkle for the Trackback support.