Good News From Iraq: Successes

There have been many successes by Iraqi and Coalition Forces recently, but I don't know that many (if any) of them are being presented to the American public. Here is a short list of some of the wins for the good-guys in Iraq over the past week-and-a-half or so.

VBIEDs
At least four VBIEDs (vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices) have been contained by Iraqi or Coalition Forces since 09 May 2007, all with no civilian or military casualties. My last post covered another VBIED that was caught on 04 May 2007 before it could be used by the terrorists to murder more people.

On 09 May 2007, Coalition Forces discovered two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) based upon tips from Iraqi civilians. In the first incident, the vehicle exploded while U.S. members of Multi-National Detachment - Baghdad (MND-B) were enroute to investigate. In the second incident, MND-B and Iraqi forces secured the area around the VBIED, and then an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team destroyed the vehicle. No civilians or military personnel were injured in either incident.

On 12 May 2007, Coalition Forces discovered and destroyed a VBIED in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad. In addition, three suspected terrorists were detained, and IED-making materials were seized. At least two of the three individuals who were detained are suspected of having ties to a secret cell network in the area known for facilitating the transport of weapons and EFPs from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training.

On 16 May 2007, Iraqi Army forces discovered a VBIED based upon tips from Iraqi civilians. The area was secured, and Iraqi EOD diffused the explosives in the vehicle.

Hostages And Torture Houses
I've covered this before (here, here, and here), but it is always worth covering new successes in this category. Iraqi and Coalition Forces have shut down several hide-outs that have been used by the terrorists to hold, and often times torture, hostages. For some reason, the MSM doesn't see fit to show the grateful hostages who have been freed by Coalition Forces, or to document the horrific treatment that those hostages were subjected to while being held by the terrorists.

One such torture house was discovered on 16 May 2007. Why this hasn't been headline news, I will never know.

The troops revisited the site in hopes of another discovery and found some human skeletal remains in the yard outside of the house. Inside the house, the Soldiers found other disturbing signs as they continued their search.

An upstairs room had the tools and layout of an interrogation room. Two metal mattress springs were laid against the wall near bare electrical wires, a table with odd markings from fire and chemical burns and triangle racks were hung from the ceiling. This evidence, and knowledge of the area's history of extrajudicial killings, led the patrol leader, 1st Lt. Patrick Henson, of Orlando, Florida, and his Soldiers to conclude that the house had been used for illegal detentions, and possibly for the abuse or interrogation of kidnapped victims.

Today, Coalition Forces freed four Iraqi men and one Iraqi boy who were kidnapped and tortured by terrorists. These terrorists weren't some "Iraqi freedom-fighters" who were involved in any civil war, either. MNF-I spokesperson Lt. Col. Christopher Garver described the find by saying, "The brutality and viciousness of these acts demonstrate the complete disregard terrorists have for human life. We will continue to hunt foreign fighters who bring this violence into Iraq." Again, not front-page news for the MSM.

Other Successes
There are plenty of other successes detailed at the MNF-Iraq Website. I would highly suggest checking out the press releases there to get a better idea of everything that is happening in Iraq. Here are ten more examples from yesterday and today.

3 SUSPECTED AL-QAEDA CELL LEADERS, 9 OTHERS DETAINED
Iraqi Army Forces detain 16 suspected Al Qaeda terrorists near Samarra
MND-B Soldiers find sizeable cache, detain one suspect near Al Hamdanyia
Soldiers kill insurgent and seize deadly weapon
Paratroopers find seven IEDs
8 TERRORISTS KILLED, 34 DETAINED IN OVERNIGHT RAIDS
Coalition and Iraqi Forces knock enemy off balance during Operation Harris Ba'sil
Terrorist safe house destroyed in southern Baghdad
MND-B Soldiers discover insurgent mortar team, killing one
Iraqi Forces detain alleged leader of terrorist group in Salah Din Province

Remember, our troops are doing great work for both America and the people of Iraq. Let's not pull the rug out from under them before the mission is accomplished.

USMC 9971 OUT