Officials said the raids were conducted against suspected strongholds
near Tarmiya. They said Iraqi and U.S. combat forces dismantled cells,
seized equipment and destroyed a vehicle used to transport Al Qaida
fighters.
"The ground forces also destroyed a vehicle used to transport terrorist
weapons and personnel, and detained 18 other individuals allegedly linked to
the VBIED [vehicle-borne improvised explosive device] cell," the military
said.
Eleven Al Qaida operatives were detained west of Taji during a raid that
targeted an unidentified senior Al Qaida figure. Officials said the
operative was suspected of coordinating VBIED and suicide bombings as well
as attacks on coalition forces.
"We will continue our operations to keep pressure on the terrorists and
diminish their ability to attack the people of Iraq," Young said.
The military said it captured a man termed a primary weapons facilitator
for Al Qaida in Iraq. Officials said the facilitator had been a junior
operative
who rose rapidly as his superiors were being killed or captured by coalition
forces.
Still, Iraqi insurgents have continued punishing strikes. Officials said
Al Qaida and Shi'ite insurgents were improving their mortar fire skills in
wake of
training by Iran. On July 10, at least three people were killed and 18
injured in a mortar barrage of the so-called Green Zone in Baghdad, home to
the Iraqi government, parliament and Western embassies.
"We have seen in the last three months a significant improvement in the
capability of mortarmen and rocketeers to provide accurate fires into the
Green Zone and other places and we think this is directly related to
training that is conducted in Iran," Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 U.S.
commander in Iraq, said on Thursday. "So we continue to go after these
networks with the Iraqi security forces."
