Iran Focus: London, Aug. 20 – Coalition Forces captured a weapons smuggler and “Special Groups extremist leader” in a pre-dawn raid on Monday near Qasirin, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military announced. Iran Focus
London, Aug. 20 – Coalition Forces captured a weapons smuggler and “Special Groups extremist leader” in a pre-dawn raid on Monday near Qasirin, north of Baghdad, the U.S. military announced.
A statement by the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) said the captured weapons facilitator was responsible for the “storage and distribution” of Iranian weapons.
“Coalition Forces intelligence suggests the weapons facilitator has traveled to and from Iran numerous times and is responsible for smuggling and distributing deadly explosively formed penetrators (EFPs). The target was also responsible for the distribution of those weapons to Special Groups operating throughout the Baghdad area and was connected to a very large network of weapons facilitators and Special Groups associates”, the MNF-I said.
“The weapons smuggler is believed to have had ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force”, it added.
Eight insurgents were killed and three others were also detained in the raid.
Coalition troops continue to kill and capture terrorists who bring Iranian weapons, especially EFPs, into Iraq, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. We will continue to pursue these networks that provide these weapons to those who intend to kill Coalition Forces, Iraqi Security Forces and innocent Iraqis.
Two others detained during the raid are also suspected of distributing weapons smuggled into Iraq from Iran, the MNF-I statement said.
“One of the buildings searched during the raid produced several AK-47s, ammunition, grenades, a large sum of currency, identification cards and questionable documents, which were all confiscated for analysis and evaluation”, it added.
