By Sgt. Zach Mott
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
HAAY UR, Iraq – Iraqi security forces maneuvered quickly once they spotted a rifle barrel sticking out the window of a late-model van in the Haay Ur neighborhood of northeast Baghdad, Jan. 17, and thwarted an attempted attack on U.S. forces in the area.
After a tip reported a sniper was operating in this neighborhood bordering the northwest portion of Sadr City, members of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division began scouring the area trying to locate the team.
Shortly after being discovered, the sniper team, which consisted of three males in a van, fired a shot at the approaching national police patrol around 11:30 a.m. This shot alerted the Iraqi army in the area and a patrol from the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, was dispatched.
"I'm so proud to have this National Police battalion with us," said Iraqi Brig. Gen. Tariq, commander, 42nd Bde., 11th IA Div., which oversees each of the battalions involved in this mission. "I deem them to be one of my battalions and am proud of any kind of work from that national police battalion."
The national police and Iraqi army worked together to detain the three men as well as the vehicle and materials inside. These materials included a modified sniper rifle, a wooden support for the rifle, a camera that was to be used to document their intended assassination and a makeshift canvas covering for the rifle.
The men, as well as the items, were taken into National Police custody where they remain pending the results of further investigation.
"I believe we will stay after the criminal gangs that are trying to interrupt the opportunities of the people of Iraq and the prosperity of Iraq," said Tariq.
Iraqi security forces are now at the forefront of security across the country after the Strategic Framework Agreement was enacted as the new year began. Events such as this highlight the progress the security forces have made and symbolize an ability to operate independent of their American advisors.
"This shows that the neighborhood trusts the Iraqi security forces and that the Iraqi security forces are willing to go out and act on those tips to stop attacks against the Iraqi people as well as the American forces," said Lt. Col. Jeremy Simmons, an Olympia, Wash., native who serves as the senior advisor on the 42nd Brigade Military Transition Team.