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Coalition kills four rogue Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad |
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Tuesday, 14 August 2007 |
Iran Focus
 London, Aug. 14 – Coalition troops killed four suspected rogue operatives of an Iran-backed militia during a raid in the Baghdad slum Sadr City early Tuesday morning, the U.S. military announced.
The purpose of the raid was to capture or kill an extremist militant and his operatives, who were formerly associated with the Jaysh-al-Mahdi (JAM, or Mahdi Army), the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) said in a statement.
The rogue Jaysh-al-Mahdi (JAM) leader and his operatives are suspected of coordinating and conducting attacks against Coalition forces and moderate Iraqis within the Baghdad area, the MNF-I said.
Eight other operatives were detained during the raid.
“These militants have split with JAM and threaten the stability and security of areas within Baghdad. These militants are also known to have ties to illicit materials smuggled from Iran that have been used in extra-judicial killings”, the statement said.
The statement added that the Coalition troops were attacked by two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and small arms after they had conducted a search of three buildings in the vicinity.
“Coalition Forces continue to gain momentum in attacking the extremist networks that employ improvised explosive devices, especially explosively formed penetrators, which are smuggled from Iran to attack the Iraqi people and the security forces that protect them”, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.
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