By Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAQOUBA, Iraq -- Stryker Soldiers in Baquba launched an air assault against al-Qaida in Iraq in the farmlands south of Buhriz, April 16.
Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., captured twelve suspected terrorists and killed another during the 24-hour operation in the largest air assault ever by a Stryker unit, according to Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Huggins, battalion command sergeant major.
Two days prior, the Stryker Soldiers cleared Buhriz and were told by residents that al-Qaida operatives had fled the neighborhood.
"Prior information led us into the southern part, where (residents said) al-Qaida was hiding," said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Miller, 1st platoon sergeant, Company A.
The Stryker unit air-assaulted into the farmlands along with Iraqi security forces "to get a jump on the enemy and have the element of surprise," said 1st Lt. James Dobis, 2nd platoon leader, also with Co. A.
"It's a good feeling whenever we can capture any kind of bad guy, because any time we capture one, we usually get information that leads us to five or six others," said Miller.
The air-assault mission was the third battalion-size operation launched in Baquba by the unit since it arrived in March. Its first operation was carried out in a section of the city known as "Old Baquba." The battalion then entered the neighborhood of Buhriz.
"If we take care of these little communities first, that...will take care of the larger populace," said Miller.
Miller said the battalion operations, which have been conducted alongside the Iraqi army and police, have already made a difference in the city.
"I've seen the local populace come out on the streets more and more," Miller said. "We see a city that used to be empty of people. Now they are out and have their shops open for the first time in months."
News about the capture of the terrorists will spread throughout the region and have a positive influence on the people of Baquba, said Dobis.
"It will definitely have an impact by word-of-mouth. Al-Qaida cannot operate here freely," he said.
| Date Taken: |
05.07.2007 |
| Date Posted: |
05.07.2007 09:40 |
| Story ID: |
10244 |
| Location: |
BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: |
1,233 |
| Downloads: |
1,179 |
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