A midnight mission by combined U.S. and Iraqi army forces resulted in 12 men being detained for questioning on suspicion of terrorist activity.

Operation Details

Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team,

10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to rec ...

out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, joined forces to clear the villages near al-Owesat and al-Thobat,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, 14 July 2007. During Polar Tempest, tipsters gave the Coalition Forces viable information. The night began with Soldiers clearing houses, when an Iraqi man who claimed to know where several

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

s lived in the area led them to various places. As the patrol moved along, the Soldiers encountered small-arms fire and shot back, killing a terrorist. Three men fled, but Soldiers seized an AK-47 and an ammunition vest. The Iraqi man guiding the Soldiers said he believed they had encountered the lead element of a larger group of insurgents. As the Coalition Forces and IA forces continued clearing houses in the area, the man pointed out one of the residents as a terrorist. In another house a male claimed to know where a high-value target lived. As Coalition Forces followed him, several local residents began to flee in vehicles. They were stopped and detained. As troops searched the areas near the

Euphrates River The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

, they came across two small boats at a water-pumping station. The Soldiers destroyed the boats. They also found an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

, which was disarmed and thrown into the river. Twelve detainees were taken to Coalition bases for further questioning. During the searches, Soldiers also found a Dragunov sniper rifle magazine, a grenade, and an unidentified rifle.

Participating Units

American Units

*4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)

Iraqi Units

*4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division

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References

Polar Tempest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polar Tempest Operation Phantom Thunder July 2007 events in Iraq