Soldiers, Aviators Engage Insurgents in Salman Pak

By Staff Sgt. Sean Riley, 3rd HBCT Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Coalition troops captured and killed several insurgents in the Salman Pak area during a pair of missions Sept. 12 and 13.

On Sept. 12, Company A and the scout platoon from 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, conducted a night air assault near Salman Pak.

Soldiers assaulted north of Salman Pak via UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to surprise known insurgents in the 1-15 Inf. Regt. area of operations.

After the air insertion, scouts detained two suspected insurgents as Company A secured its target area, detaining another insurgent and finding two AK-47 assault rifles and one shotgun. In all, three insurgents were detained and six buildings were cleared during the operation.

A day later, on Sept. 13, Soldiers responded to reports of small-arms fire directed against the Joint Security Station in Salman Pak. Soldiers from 1-15 Inf. Regt. coordinated with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to engage insurgents.

The helicopters opened fire on three armed men after they were detected near a building on the outskirts of the town. Two were killed during the exchange. The third man, wounded in the attack, moved into the building after meeting with four other armed men.

The helicopters fired at the building after insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at them, killing two more and wounding another. Company A, 1-15th Inf. Regt. The remaining two men escaped. Soldiers moved to the site and evacuated the wounded man.

The 1-15 Inf. Regt. is assigned to 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.