Pathfinders in the News:

101st Assaults Camp In ‘War’s Biggest Raid On Terror'

By Pfc. Chris Jones
September 16, 2003

Soldiers of the 101st kick in a door during a raid on a suspected terrorist camp in Southwest Iraq. During the raid, they detained 79 suspected terrorists.  PFC Chris Jones

SOUTHWEST IRAQ (Sept. 16, 2003) -- On the eve of the second anniversary of the biggest terrorist attack ever against the United States, Soldiers of the 101st countered with their own attack, capturing 79 suspected terrorists.

Before dawn on Sept. 10, a light force of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) stormed a suspected terrorist training camp in Southwest Iraq. Soldiers from Company B of the 502nd Infantry Regiment and Pathfinder Company’s 6th Battalion led the charge.

The soldiers rehearsed the raid for two days before the attack, including night drills.

Before dawn, six Chinooks were filled with infantrymen and a small team of engineers from 326th Engineer Battalion. The choppers landed on the outskirts of the camp. The infantry platoon secured the housing area while the pathfinders targeted all other places. Once the area was secured, the infantry platoon and pathfinders cleared outlying buildings.

In less than four hours, the site was secured.

With 79 suspected terrorists detained, it was the biggest raid against terrorism in the war, said Lt. Col. Steve Countouriotis, commander of 6th Battalion. Along with the suspects, the Soldiers found a stash of $60,000 and more than one million Iraqi dinar. They also uncovered weapons caches and electronic devices.

(Editors note: Pfc. Chris Jones is a journalist with the 40th Public Affairs Detachment.)

Story as originally posted on Army News Service.