An estimated 70 Insurgents killed near Ramadi 

Coalition forces continued counter-insurgency operations in areas of the Al Anbar province Sunday, killing an estimated 70 terrorists in separate actions. At approximately 1:25 p.m., oalition forces conducted an air strike against a group of insurgents attempting to emplace an improvised explosive device (IED) east of Ramadi. While conducting a combat air patrol, crewmembers from an F-15 observed 20 men arrive in four vehicles at the crater site of a previously-detonated IED which had killed five U.S. service members and two Iraqi soldiers on Saturday. The insurgents were in the process of emplacing another IED in the exact same spot when the F-15 engaged them with a precision-guided bomb, resulting in the confirmed death of all the terrorists on the ground. At approximately 7:30 p.m., a UH-1N Huey and AH-1W Cobra helicopter team on patrol north of Ramadi had been observing a group of military-aged males gathered at a suspected insurgent safe house. After realizing their position had been compromised, the insurgents fled the scene and engaged the Cobra with small-arms fire. The Cobra returned fire with 20 mm rounds, resulting in the death of an estimated 10 insurgents. Later, at approximately 7:50 p.m., a team of F/A-18 Hornets resumed observation at the suspected safe house where they found an additional 35-40 insurgents loading their vehicles with weapons and driving to another location to unload the weapons. The F/A-18 targeted the insurgents with a precision-guided bomb, killing all the insurgents on the ground. The combined strikes resulted in approximately 50 insurgents killed. The strikes took place in the Abu Faraj region, north of Ramadi, where a large number of indirect fire and IED attacks against civilians, Iraqi infrastructure, Iraqi Security Forces and coalition forces have originated. At approximately 8 p.m., coalition forces guarding the Government Center in Ramadi were attacked by small-arms fire from multiple locations within an adjacent building. After requesting air support to neutralize the increasing volume of fire, an F/A-18 Hornet once again engaged the target, this time with a maverick missile. After the small-arms fire continued, coalition forces engaged the targets with two shoulder mounted multipurpose assault weapons (SMAWs), resulting in the cessation of all movement from within the structure. An estimated 1-3 insurgents were killed in the strike. All the attacks were timed and executed in a manner to reduce the possibility of collateral damage. There were no reports of coalition or civilian casualties. The attacks follow a successful referendum in which there were no major disruptions caused by insurgents at the polls throughout the Al Anbar province. Coalition forces continue to aggressively pursue terrorists whose aim is to kill Iraqi civilians and coalition forces in an attempt to disrupt the political process.