MNFI Press Release - Dec 27

IA, INP, MND-B SOLDIERS SEIZE CACHES IN BAGHDAD
Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers, Iraqi National Police (INP) and MultiNational Division – Baghdad (MND-B) soldiers seized weapons caches in the Baghdad area on December 26th. IA soldiers serving with 53rd Brigade, 14th Iraqi Army Division and Soldiers serving with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, MND-B, discovered a weapons cache containing (3) 100 mm high-explosive projectiles, (5) 115 mm projectiles, and (1) empty 152 mm projectile at approximately 12:40 p.m. northwest of Baghdad.

An Iraqi citizen turned in a cache found at his home to IA soldiers serving with 4th Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, at approximately 7 p.m. north of Baghdad. The weapons seized included (2) silencers, (4) grenade fuses, 2.5 pounds of propellant, (2) 60 mm high-explosive mortars, (1) heavy machine gun body and (1) machine gun bolt. At approximately 7 p.m., Iraqi National Policemen turned in a weapons cache they found to Soldiers serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd SBCT, 25th ID, MND-B. The cache contained (2) 57 mm mortars. At approximately 11 p.m., an Iraqi citizen turned in a 57 mm and a high-explosive anti-armor round to Soldiers serving with Co A, 1st Battalion, 14th Inf. Regt., 2nd SBCT, 25th ID, MND-B.

IA, MND-B SEIZE HOME-MADE EXPLOSIVES
IA soldiers found a large cache of home-made explosives in southern Baghdad on December 25th. IA soldiers serving with 2nd Battalion, 55th Brigade, 17th Iraqi Army Division discovered a cache that contained approximately 1,500 pounds of home-made explosives, at approximately 3 p.m. An explosive ordnance disposal team transported the explosives to another location and disposed of them.

IA SOLDIERS CONFISCATE WEAPONS IN GHAZALIYAH
Iraqi soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division confiscated a cache of weapons at approximately 6:50 p.m. during an operation in the Ghazaliyah district of northwest Baghdad on December 26th. The Iraqi soldiers notified the 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, which responded to the site to provide assistance. The effort uncovered (2) 60 mm mortar rounds, (15) propellant rods, 2 pounds of propellant and (2) silencers of an unknown caliber. “The confiscation of these weapons highlights the capability of the Iraqi Security Forces and allows Coalition force Soldiers to transition to a mentoring position,” said Major Kone Faulkner, a spokesperson for 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “The ISF are in the lead and are getting the job done, and we will do everything in our power to support their efforts and provide assistance as needed.”

2,000 IRAQI FAMILIES RETURN TO EASTERN BAGHDAD
Iraqi officials recently reported that more than 2,000 Iraqi families have returned to their homes in eastern Baghdad this year. The 2,084 returning families left their homes in the districts of Rusafa, Karadah and 9 Nissan due to security concerns. Categorized as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), they have returned to a more secure and safe environment. The number of returnees in the area is a sign of vastly improved security conditions, said Lt. Colonel Eric Holliday, deputy team leader of Baghdad-2 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (e-PRT). “The more returnees we get back into the neighborhoods from where they were originally displaced tells us these people feel safe enough to return to those areas and they don’t think there is going to be further violence,” expressed Holliday. “When we have them return and we don’t have any incidents of further violence... then it has been fairly successful in our area. That is a measure of effectiveness telling us we are doing our job right."

Iraq’s Ministry of Migrations and Displaced Persons (MOMDP) is responsible for tracking IDPs and IDP returnees. They report the number of Iraqi citizens who register with IDP centers weekly. Holliday said there is an IDP center in Rusafa that issues reports about homeowners returning to eastern Baghdad. “Their job is to register all IDPs that have displaced into our area and also to register all returnees – those are IDPs that were displaced to other areas that are returning to their homes,” explained Holliday of the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade. “They (returnees) receive a stipend from the government. It’s been running somewhere around one million to three million dinars, which equates to about $1,000 to $3,000 per returnee.” To receive stipends and reclaim their homes, IDP returnees must register with the ministry and provide proof of ownership. Other forms of government support also are available to these citizens.