Enemy Employing New Tactic in Iraq

More of this from the American Forces Press Service here.



It is not as "cease fire" and quiet as the news may be saying. The lack of reporters from the area means a lack of reports from the area. That's kind of how it works. You can get some news from the US Department Of Defense by email just subscribe to what you want here. This is part of what I got in my inbox this am.



In restive Fallujah, where tensions remain high between Marines and the local population, a convoy of humanitarian goods was found to contain weapons and ammunition, according to CJTF 7 officials.



U.S. Marines working with Iraqi forces in the area reported finding armor- piercing rounds, aiming sights for rockets, and rifles hidden in bags of rice, grain and tea. 'The man detained for transporting the weapons was wearing a poorly made Red Crescent uniform in an attempt to make the convoy look legitimate,' a spokesman said in a statement.



Also in Fallujah, Marines engaged an enemy sniper, who then fled in an Iraqi ambulance. 'By using the ambulances, (the enemy forces) put wounded and dying Iraqis in harm's way, preventing them the services they need to reach medical care,' the spokesman said.



Operationally, the past 24 hours have been eventful for coalition forces in Iraq. Marines in Kharma, near Fallujah, repelled an attack by 'a significant number' of anti-Iraqi forces on a defensive position near a residential neighborhood. Local residents later told the Marines the rebel forces had virtually held them hostage in their own homes recently.



Through a series of raids, U.S. Marines and soldiers netted several suspects

and weapons caches in Anbar Province, according to CJTF 7 officials.



Near Habbiniyah, soldiers with 1st Brigade Combat Team turned up

an IED factory. The soldiers discovered parts for making IEDs, weapons and a

suspected IED testing area. Soldiers killed 16 enemy combatants and detained

another 10.



Soldiers with 1st Brigade Combat Team also captured seven enemy

suspected of launching IED and mortar attacks near Khalidiyah, just southeast

of Ramadi. Soldiers recovered four rocket-propelled-grenade rounds, an RPG

launcher, an IED triggering device attached to 100 feet of wire, and plastic

explosives.



Marines in Ramadi conducted a cordon-and-search mission and

detained seven enemy after finding five sticks of dynamite, grenades and

blasting caps in two different houses.



A raid on a smuggler's house in Fallujah turned up hidden

weapons. Sixteen men were detained.



Marines and soldiers also continue to assist local residents whenever possible,

officials said.



Soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team came to the aid of

three Iraqi men in Ramadi after their fuel truck caught on fire. The soldiers

rendered first aid to the injured men and remained on the scene until an Iraqi

ambulance arrived.



Soldiers in Ramadi visited a glass factory to assess needed

repairs to a water-cooling tower the plant manager said was burned in a fire.