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KIRKUT, Iraq (May 31, 2008) - Arab tribal leaders conducted a
significant meeting in the Ta'mim province, May 27, a day after a
large weapons cache was discovered by the Iraq Army.
Tribal leaders from the Daquq district met with district council
members, representatives from the Iraqi Security and Coalition
forces in the village of Ghaida in the Southern Rashaad Valley.
At the meeting, ISF, local government leaders and CF discussed
community issues with the local tribes. The meeting presented the
tribes with an opportunity to have their voice heard by members of
the district council which is primarily composed of Kurds and
Turkmen.
The meeting comes on the heels of a major cache discovery
following an IA led operation, which occurred May 26.
The 15th Iraqi Army Brigade, 4th Division conducted a pre-dawn
cordon and search mission near the village of Albu Mirawah in the
lower Rashaad valley, approximately 70 miles south of Kirkuk. The
IA battalion acted on tips from local citizens and from the recent
capture and cooperation of a suspected al-Qaeda leader known as the
"Amir of Safra."
The cache was discovered approximately 130 meters from where the
suspected leader was detained earlier this month. It was one of
five caches uncovered in the area by the IA in the last two weeks.
This cache consisted of materials used to construct improvised
explosive devices; rocket-propelled grenades; five RPG launchers;
45 RPGs; 24, 82 mm mortar rounds; 250 mortar fuses; 44 pounds of
explosives; and 150 handsets.
"The Iraqi Army's success from this mission is clearly another
example of the growing capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces to
conduct independent operations and was a result of a lot of hard
work from brave Iraqis," said Lt. Col. Kevin Brown, 1st Brigade
Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division deputy commander. "I am even
more encouraged by the fact that these operations help set the
conditions for tribal and provincial leaders to come together to
help their people, who have been threatened and intimidated by a
group of thugs, and terrorists who have been denying them of the
peace and prosperity they deserve."
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