[Update] I had to change the number because looking back, I realized that I had repeated a couple of them. Thanks to Jeff for pointing that out.

I haven’t done one of these in a couple of weeks, so let’s jump right into it:

February 25 – Iraqi Police officers found and reported an improvised explosive device that was positioned in the median of a local road. The IED was a combination of two artillery shells rigged with two containers of an unknown type of fuel and a detonation device. Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel responded to the scene, disassembled and collected the components for later disposal.

February 26 – Iraqi Police officers from the Kirkuk Emergency Support Unit and Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division captured a suspected member of the radical extremist organization Ansar Al Sunna and seven others during a joint cordon and search. Abu Abdallah is a suspected member of Ansar Al Sunna, and is linked to attacks on Iraqi Security Forces in the Kirkuk area. He may have actually emplaced improvised explosive devices for the attacks himself. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division have been training and working alongside Iraqi Police officers since November of last year. Kirkuk Police have captured 40 suspected terrorists in the past week as a result of the combined operations.

February 28 – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered and detonated a large roadside-bomb positioned by a mosque in the Saydiyah neighborhood of southwest Baghdad at approximately 9:25 p.m. Soldiers from the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division discovered the bomb near the mosque and contacted Iraqi security forces. An explosive ordnance disposal team was also notified. The EOD team determined that the bomb was boobytrapped and unable to be safely moved and had to be detonated in place. A Coalition commander worked with Iraqi Security personnel, contacted the Imam of the mosque and explained the situation while Iraqi Public Order Brigade personnel secured the area. The controlled detonation caused minimal damage to the mosque. MND-B Civil Affairs teams will assist the Imam in repairing the damage to the building. The 4th BCT civil engineers will also conduct a site assessment to assist in reconstruction efforts.

March 1 – Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division detained six persons in connection with a large cache discovered and seized in the Tammim district of western Ramadi during cordon and search operations. The cache contents included a wide variety of weaponry, ammunition, bomb-making components, computers and CDs. Notable items within the inventory included; three surface-to-air missile systems, home-made silencers, multiple license plates and registrations for a black Opel, 41 pounds of bulk propellant and explosive, three mortar systems with 25 60 mm mortar rounds, five rocket-propelled grenade launchers with 25 RPG rounds, 110 mortar cartridges and a mixed bag of small arms, electronic components and loose ordnance. A Chevrolet Suburban was also confiscated in connection with the incident. It is being delivered to my house as I type this. The seizure represents the largest find to date for the unit since they began operations 10 months ago in the Ramadi area. The unit has expanded its responsibilities beyond direct insurgent engagements and now includes predominantly engaging the local population.

March 8 – Soldiers from the 5th Iraqi Army Division worked jointly with Iraqi Police SWAT personnel and detained 14 persons and assorted weapons. The seized items consisted of several artillery rounds, two automatic rifles and a vehicle that matched a suspect report. The detainees and weapons were turned over to authorities for further investigation.

March 11 – An Iraqi Explosive Ordnance Disposal team secured a roadside bomb on a route east of Baghdad. Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers found a hollowed-out tree trunk containing wires, a 152 mm round and a remote control base while on patrol. The Iraqi EOD team responded to the scene and secured the round.

March 12 – Two off-duty Iraqi soldiers captured two terrorists who were emplacing an improvised explosive device in Kirkuk in addition to two other persons arrested and a cache found in recent operations. Soldiers noticed two men working next to a car stopped alongside a road in Kirkuk. As they approached, the soldiers realized that the two men were emplacing an IED. The soldiers apprehended the two men and called local police who took the two terrorists into custody. An Iraqi explosives unit disposed of the IED. Police in the Daquq district captured a member of the Omar Bin Khatab terrorist cell who is known to transport weapons and IEDs throughout the region. In another community, children told police of weapons stashed in a nearby dumpster. Upon investigation, police found 18 fuses and more than 20 explosive rounds. According to a Coalition spokesman the arrests are a result of success breeding success. As the Iraqi Army and local police continue to capture terrorists and find caches, local citizens are stepping forward with more information.

March 13 – Iraqi Police found two caches north of Tikrit after receiving a tip on a terrorist’s whereabouts. The police raided the terrorist’s home but found no one inside. They found a substantial cache of explosives, weapons and ammunition while searching the residence. The police later found a second cache nearby containing artillery rounds and hand grenades.

March 14 – Iraqi police raided two houses near Tikrit and discovered two caches of weapons and explosives. The raids were generated by tips given to the police, who secured both sites and called in an explosive ordnance disposal team from Task Force Band of Brothers. The caches consisted of 25 mortar rounds, 10 large artillery shells, two land mines, a mortar tube, improvised explosive device components and a large amount of bulk explosives.

March 14 – Personnel from the 1st Iraqi Army Division Bomb Disposal Squad responded to a cache site. Bomb Disposal Squad personnel cleared the hazard which consisted of three 122 mm rockets and 10 gallons of accelerant.

March 14 – Iraqi Police and Coalition troops discovered a cache in the home of a terrorist associated with a vehicle bomb detonation in Kirkuk. The cache consisted of three blocks of C4 explosives, two anti-personnel mines, three bags of ammunition, two AK-47 drum magazines, four rolls of wire and one mortar bipod.

March 15 – An Iraqi Police patrol detained two suspected terrorists in the Al Bakir area after a search of their vehicle produced an array of suspicious items. Officers stopped the vehicle which bore fresh paint and a screwed-on rubber bumper. A search quickly uncovered four ski masks, a mortar charger, two police-style belts and a stick, possibly used to beat kidnap victims. Once the vehicle was in custody at the police unit, a detailed search uncovered a mortar tube and sighting system, six mortar rounds, 240 AK-47 rifle rounds and 78 cheese chargers for the mortar systems. The items were concealed beneath plastic covers in the engine compartment.

March 16 – Iraqi security forces and Coalition units continue to search a 100 square-mile area in the Samarra region for terrorists and weapons caches, as part of Operation Swarmer. Six caches consisting of more than 350 mortar rounds, 49 rocket-propelled grenades, 14 rockets, six artillery rounds and a significant amount of assorted bomb-making materials have been discovered so far. The ongoing mission was based upon intelligence derived primarily from Iraqi security forces and is being conducted by the Iraqi Army, Ministry of Interior Commandos and U.S. Forces.

By finding all this materiel, approximately 300 IEDs will never hit the streets or affect another person. That means that over 2100 people were spared injury, dismemberment or death as a direct result of these actions. People ask if we’re winning the war…yes. We find this stuff almost on a daily basis. The current Operation Swarmer going on in Iraq right now will yield even more explosive materials and people involved in making these devastating devices.

I also want to share this photograph taken by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mark Woodbury. Coalition and Iraqi troops play a game of volleyball during their physical training time at Kirkush Military Training Base March 6. The volleyball game is a daily ritual to help build morale and unity among the troops, according to the players.