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Combined operations yield caches

April 14, 2006

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, April 14, 2006) – In the Tigris River valley, Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered four weapons caches during a combined operation April 13.

Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. 22nd Infantry Regiment conducted a two-phase search in southern Baghdad April 10.

During the first phase of the operation, Iraqi Soldiers found pre-made roadside-bombs encased in concrete.

In the second phase, the Iraqi and MND-B Soldiers air assaulted into the area and found additional caches.

The caches from both phases contained rocket propelled grenade rounds, machine guns, mortar rounds, landmines, homemade explosives, grenades, 13 pre-made roadside-bombs, rockets, bags of linked ammunition, and a sniper rifle with 5,000 rounds of ammunition. Soldiers also destroyed five boats used to transport weapons across the Tigris River.

“This area is a staging area for attacks both across the Tigris and into our area of operations,” said 2nd Lt. James Stephan of 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment. “The weapons and material found here confirm our suspicions that the enemy is concentrated heavily along the palm groves and riverbanks in the area.”

An explosive ordnance disposal team took control of the caches.

Multi-National Force - Iraq Spokesman Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch talked about the importance of getting the caches out of the hands of the enemy during his weekly press conference from Baghdad.

“We'd love to be able to attest to the fact that the enemy's got no munitions left, and that's just not where we are, “said Lynch. “We are convinced that conducting these operations has good effect over a period of time because it takes it out of the hand of the enemy and he can't use it to blow up innocent women and children – so we're optimistic that we're making progress. We don't believe that they can re-supply as quickly as we can take it away from them. So in the end, it will be a problem on their part on gathering these munitions, and we just have to continue.”

(Editor’s note: This story compiled from official Defense Department sources)