Operation Larchwood 4

Part of the Iraq War

Date	16 April 2006
Location	Yusufiyah, Iraq
Result	Coalition Victory: intelligence gathered led to the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

Belligerents

United Kingdom

United States

Iraq

Mujahideen Shura Council

Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Commanders and leaders

Captain Ewan

Abu Atiya (POW)

Strength

Unknown total

at least 7

Casualties and losses

5 wounded

5 killed 2 captured

1 civilian killed and 4 more injured

Mujahideen Shura Council

Operation Larchwood 4 was an operation launched by B squadron of the British 22nd Special Air Service Regiment supported by US forces attacked an Al-Qaeda-occupied farmhouse in Yusufiyah, Baghdad Province, Iraq the raid was a major success, as a result intelligence was gathered led to the finding and killing of Al Qaeda in Iraq's leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi a few month's later.

On January 15 to 15 October 2006, AQI (Al-Qaeda in Iraq) was one of five or six other Sunni insurgent groups that formed the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) that embraced the same Salafist ideology as AQI.

Operation Larchwood 4 was developed from intelligence gathered in previous raids conducted by B squadron SAS and B squadron 1st SFOD-D (1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta) on AQI targets in areas dubbed: "Baghdad Belts"-a term used by the coalition to for communities surrounding the capital; Baghdad.

In nigh-time raids on April 8 and on April 13, 2006, in a town near Yusufiyah, the operators killed 7 insurgents (5 on April 8 and 2 on April 13) who the intelligence agencies claimed were foreign jihadists. The intelligence gathered in these raids gave JSOC a clear intelligence picture of a group of Al-Qaeda cells around Baghdad, suggesting that their tactics had evolved.

Operation Larchwood 4 was part of an intense series of operations in the Triangle of Death, most of which were carried out by Delta Force and other US forces.

The target for the operation was to capture a mid-level terrorist leader called Abu Atiya (pseudonym assigned by Mark Urban), he ran AQI's local media campaign, HUMINT and SIGINT intelligence showed that he also had a role in setting up VBIED, his location was confirmed by cell phone intercepts and a grid reference graphic in the form of an aerial photo. The target building was an insurgent-held farmhouse on the outskirts of Yusufiyah.

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Wikipedia