Marne Avalanche starts with a bang

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

07.19.2007

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division-Central

Multi-National Division-Central Public Affairs Office

BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. aircraft dropped 9,500 pounds of explosives on an improvised steel-reinforced bridge to inhibit insurgent movement south of Baghdad July 15.

B-1 Bombers dropped four, 2,000-pound GPS-guided bombs and three, 500-pound GPS-guided bombs on a bridge used by insurgents to transport weapons, munitions and anti-Iraqi forces into Baghdad.

The bomb drops were part of Task Force Marne's latest offensive known as Marne Avalanche. The operation's intent is to improve security conditions in southern Baghdad and reduce the influence of insurgents in the area.

Full-scale operations in support of Marne Avalanche began yesterday and resulted in the detention of eight individuals and the discovery of a cache.

The cache included five AK-47 automatic rifles, two RPK machine guns, 85 magazines, two welding tanks, two scales, one pistol, five cell phones, one Iraqi police uniform, $2,700 in U.S. currency, 842,700 Iraqi dinars, an unknown quantity of ID cards, and a large quantity of Iraqi army uniforms.

There have been five insurgents killed, 42 people detained, 24 improvised explosive devices found, two caches found, five boats destroyed, 81 people entered into the U.S. biometric identification system and 31 structures cleared during Marne Avalanche and its intelligence gathering operations.

• Date Taken: 07.19.2007
• Date Posted: 07.19.2007 07:30
• Story ID: 11350
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ