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NEW BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 23, 2006 - Soldiers of 1st
Platoon, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, serving
with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Multi-National
Division - Baghdad, captured a high-valued terrorist Monday
in the New Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad. While patrolling
as part of Operation Together Forward, an MND-B operation
geared to reduce sectarian violence and murders, soldiers noticed
two individuals behaving suspiciously while in a parked vehicle.
The soldiers searched the vehicle and discovered a pistol, which
the men had no permit for, and printed documents that indicated
the men supported terrorist activities. The soldiers detained
the men for further investigation. During their detention, intelligence soldiers determined that one of the men was one of the top 20 most-wanted terrorist targets in the Baghdad area. "This was great detective work by the troops on the ground and great work by the battalion and brigade intelligence soldiers putting the pieces together to figure this out," said LTC William Brown, intelligence officer, 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Division. For the capture to take place, first the soldiers had to notice that something about the situation was not right. "They said they were security forces, but we had not seen them around all day. We do this often. When things aren't right, we check," said SPC Lonnie Bays, a tank crew member acting as an armored humvee crew member. The company commander of the 1st Platoon echoed that observation. "They have consistently found the bad guys and then used precision engagements to capture them. This is another example of the positive work they do with the local populous each day," said CPT Andrew Byrd, 4th BCT. |
