Soldiers Amush High-Value Insurgent

MND-C PAO
FOB HAMMER — A “bait and switch” sting operation carried out in broad daylight in the city of Salman Pak on Tuesday led to the capture of a high-value Sunni extremist after U.S. forces lured the suspect to an ambush in a library.

The detained individual is suspected of supplying insurgents with intelligence on Coalition Forces and transporting explosives. The capture occurred when a specialized task unit within the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division arranged for a morning meeting
with the individual at a tea shop in the town, about 15 miles southeast of the Baghdad. The individuals were supposed to be discussing current events.

Instead, members of the American unit known as “Team Village” walked with the suspect to the Salman Pak library, where the company had set up an ambush. U.S. soldiers apprehended
the man when he entered the building. The individual is No. 10 on the 3rd HBCT’s list of high-value targets. In addition to supplying intelligence to Sunni extremists, he is believed to be
responsible for bringing an explosive device into the Salman Pak National Police Headquarters.

Earlier this week, 3rd HBCT soldiers captured the No. 1 high-value individual in their area of responsibility east of Baghdad. That suspect, a Shia affiliated with the Jaish al-Mahdi militia, is believed to have served as a conduit for funneling Iranian weapons to Shia extremists operating near Baghdad.

U.S. forces executing Operation Marne Avalanche have been able to carry out increasingly focused and successful raids in recent weeks as Sunni and Shia residents in the area develop
trust in the joint U.S.-Iraqi stabilization mission, and provide tips on extremist activities.