Baghdad raid nets Al Qaeda suspects

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from 1-9 FA search a field in Zafarania, Iraq, with the aid of a military police working dog, Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda.  

ZAFARANIYA, IRAQ

11.02.2005

Courtesy Story

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Spc. Ben Brody
2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

ZAFARANIYA, Iraq -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers raided the homes of two suspected Al Qaeda conspirators and took the men into custody in south Baghdad Nov. 1.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team detained the two suspected members of a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda who were on a reconnaissance assignment in Baghdad. Both were in possession of Yemeni passports.

"They admitted to being from Yemen," said Capt. Matthew Wheeler, 1st Bn., 9th FA intelligence officer. "There's a lot of circumstantial evidence against the detainees, and that will solidify as we examine the evidence more closelyâ?¦The capture of these two guys is another solid step forward against Al Qaeda in Iraq."

After the detainees were transported to a military internment facility, Soldiers and Iraqi Public Order Brigade troops searched several large fields nearby.

"It's possible insurgents use the field as a staging area for (car bomb) attacks, so we just wanted to check it out," Wheeler said. "The POB added a lot of combat power to the search force, and it was good training for them."

• Date Taken: 11.02.2005
• Date Posted: 11.02.2005 13:51
• Story ID: 3570
• Location: ZAFARANIYA, IQ