Sons Of Iraq Along With U.S. Troops Capture High Ranking Al Qaeda In Iraq Operative

Great, great news from the Baghdad area! A high ranking operative in al Qaeda in Iraq operations, a piece of shit known for leading IED and sniping operations in and around Baghdad, has been captured and taken off the streets. This is the result of intel coming to the Sons of Iraq and them taking the target down. Look at this excerpt from the Multi-National Force piece here:

During a meeting with a local sheik and other citizens, a Sons of Iraq member indicated that a known key terrorist was nearby. The SoI member detained two suspects and turned them over to MND-B soldiers for further identification.
One of the suspects was positively identified as a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda of Iraq. The captured terrorist is a prominent member of an al-Qaeda in Iraq cell that operates in Baghdad and the southern outskirts of Baghdad

Three things about this capture I want to point out:

1. Again, this is the result of an Iraqi citizen's tip going to an "Awakening" group showing that more and more Iraqi citizens are feeling emboldened to rat out the al Qaeda in their midst.
2. The Sons of Iraq are proving that not only can they help the effort in locating al Qaeda, they are capable of taking the information, understanding the immediacy, and acting upon it to either capture or kill the target
3. The intel that we will get out of this key al Qaeda operative is going to be nothing short of priceless. Watch for key take downs of al Qaeda operations in Baghdad over the next two weeks.

And as we have seen over the past few months, more and more al Qaeda in Iraq mid level and upper level leaders and operatives are being taken down - this has to have extremely adverse effects on the overall efficiency of the al Qaeda operations. We aren't just taking out the leaders but we are depleting the expertise in IED construction and placement. Like I said, this is great news.

Sons of Iraq capture key terrorist

BAGHDAD – The strong working relationship between Multi-National Division – Baghdad and the Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) led directly to the capture of key terrorist at approximately 9 p.m. April 28.
During a meeting with a local sheik and other citizens, a Sons of Iraq member indicated that a known key terrorist was nearby. The SoI member detained two suspects and turned them over to MND-B soldiers for further identification.
One of the suspects was positively identified as a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda of Iraq. The captured terrorist is a prominent member of an al-Qaeda in Iraq cell that operates in Baghdad and the southern outskirts of Baghdad.
The suspect is reportedly known for vehicle-borne improvised-explosive device attacks, improvised-explosive device attacks, sniper attacks on Coalition Forces, the kidnapping and murder of Iraqis, and weapons trafficking. He has been directly implicated as a key operator in an attack on Coalition forces at a checkpoint in which a vehicle-borne improvised-explosive device, under his direction, was responsible for the killing of three MND-B soldiers.
“The Abna al-Iraq again prove to be heroes of the day; they found this extremely dangerous terrorist and took him off the streets,” said Maj. Al Hing, spokesperson for 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. “His actions directly led to the deaths of both U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi citizens.
“Detaining him and taking him out of the al-Qaeda terrorist network will hamper the foreign-led group’s ability to carry out indiscriminate attacks against the Iraqi people, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces. The partnership between the Abna al-Iraq and Coalition forces, working together to capture this known terrorist, makes for a safer and more stable Iraq.”
Soldiers from MND-B continue to work with the Iraqi Security Forces and conduct operations to maintain pressure on al-Qaeda in Iraq and any other foreign terrorists and Special Groups criminals by targeting their leadership, networks and sanctuaries.