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WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2004 – One 13th Corps Support Command soldier died and one was injured after an improvised explosive device blew up on their convoy near Qayarrah West Airfield in northern Iraq today.
The injured soldier was taken to a military medical facility. The name of the dead soldier is being withheld until next of kin are notified. In other news, U.S. Army soldiers equipped with armored Stryker vehicles and Iraqi security forces are now hunting insurgents operating in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Soldiers from the Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and pro-government Iraqi troops are targeting isolated pockets of insurgent fighters that continue to operate in Mosul. Fighting erupted in Mosul about a week ago, after U.S. Marines and soldiers and Iraqi troops had begun Operation Al Fajr campaign against insurgents in Fallujah. After a meeting today with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Fallujah Mayor Mahmood Ibrahim al-Juraisi welcomed Iraqi government efforts to restore the rule of law in Fallujah, which had been under insurgent control since April. Juraisi also pledged to help stabilize his city and return it to normalcy. He is slated to meet with other Fallujah tribal and civic leaders Nov. 17. While military operations in Fallujah now consist of mopping up remaining pockets of insurgents, heavier fighting is reported to be ongoing in places like Mosul and Ramadi. Ninevah provincial Gov. Duraid Kashmoula today announced that all bridges in Mosul would be closed to civilian vehicles and pedestrian traffic. Mosul is now under a curfew that spans from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice. Meanwhile, Iraqi army 6th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, troops detained 17 suspect individuals and seized weapons during a Nov. 15 cordon-and-search operation conducted north of Fallujah with assistance provided by soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division. The American soldiers cordoned off the area as the Iraqi troops conducted a search of four homes. All of the detainees were taken to Abu Ghraib prison for further questioning. One detainee is suspected to be a foreigner. Weapons seized in the operation included two AK-47 rifles with ammunition and magazines, an assortment of mortar charges, and various explosives, possibly used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices. There were no reported U.S. or Iraqi security-force casualties as a result of the operation. (Based on Multinational Force Iraq press releases.)
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