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Warrior Sweep disposes of weapons caches

Army News Service

Release Date: 8/07/2003

By Sgt. Keith Thompson

AYUBKHEL VALLEY, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Aug. 7, 2003) -- Weapons caches containing more than 75,000 pounds of miscellaneous Russian, Chinese and Pakistani ordnance found in two caves were destroyed during Operation Warrior Sweep.

The two caches were the largest among six found by coalition forces consisting of Afghan National Army soldiers, U.S. Special Forces and 82nd Airborne Division troops Aug. 3.

The troops determined that the two were to be destroyed because of their size, said Sgt. 1st Class Charlie Holloway, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, 797th Ordnance Company.

"These caches aren't the biggest one that have been found in theater, but they're the biggest ones I've blown," said Holloway, who added that the tunnels are believed to be part of a nearby former Taliban stronghold.

The ordnance in the caves was also traced to an improvised explosive device discovered on the road between Gardez and Khowst, said Sgt. 1st Class Brian Kern, a platoon sergeant in the 82nd Airborne's Co. A, 307th Engineer Battalion.

"This right here was a pretty sizeable shot today," said Staff Sgt. Chuck Gross, an explosive ordnance disposal technician in the 704th Ordnance Company. "It's not the kind of cache we find on a daily basis. Most of the stuff we find is small . this cave was definitely a major supply point for local anti-coalition militants."

"If we can take the stuff out of their hands then we can basically inhibit the hostiles' ability to attack us from this area," Gross added.

"This entire area is a cache site," said Capt. Jeffrey Ford, commander of the 797th Ord. Co. "These two were determined to be the most important - they had the most threat ordnance and that's why we went after them."

In addition to ridding anti-coalition forces of resources, blowing the caves gave Kern's combat engineers a chance to try a new technique on the smaller of the two sites.

"We're trying something new," said Kern. "We're using explosives not as powerful, but we're using shape charges to collapse the cave.

"To do this job you have to be part physicist, part chemist and the rest is pure ingenuity," he said.

But the successful demolition of the caves couldn't be accomplished without a team effort from the Afghan National Army, U.S. Special Forces and infantrymen from the 2nd Bn., 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, officials said.

"Our job is to come out here and find any caches and destroy them," said Capt. Tho Nguyen, Co. D, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Inf. Regt., company commander. "We also provide security for EOD. We've destroyed a lot of caches."

Operation Warrior Sweep is the largest and longest combat operation by coalition forces in Afghanistan since Operation Anaconda ended in March 2002.

(Editor's note: Staff Sgt. Keith Thompson is a journalist with the 4th Public Affairs Detachment in Afghanistan.)