Coalition And Iraqi Forces Work With CLC Forces In Operation
Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq
In a series of ongoing combined operations, roadways and homes were cleared of explosives in the Zelig Area.
Joint forces from the Iraqi 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police, and U.S. Forces from Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment worked together to patrol house to house. A number of weapons caches were discovered, and the assistance from the local citizens was positive.
As the troops worked together in the operation, thirteen suspected terrorists were killed, fourteen IED devices were discovered, and three trucks formerly owned by the enemy were found. The two-day effort is part of the larger Operation Phantom Phoenix. Various individual Iraqi citizens participated in giving information, and there was active participation by members of the Zelig area Concerned Local Citizens Group.
Concerned Local Citizens are groups of Iraqi Citizens that have joined together to assist and help in reconstruction, security and other community needs. They are loosely based on the Neighborhood watch model found in many communities in the United States.
“Local people as well as the Concerned Local Citizens are joining us to come out and construct checkpoints here in the area,†said Captain William Clark. Captain Clark is the Company A Commander, part of 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment. “It is a huge difference the level of cooperation we are seeing, the local citizens have made all the difference in our security efforts,†said Captain Clark.
Soldiers in Captain Clark’s unit also worked to clear roadways in and out of Zelig from IED and other bombs. With the additional assistance in establishing checkpoints there has been a marked decrease in enemy activity in the entire Zelig region.
