• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

NEWS RELEASE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894

March 30, 2003
Release Number: 03-03-95


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


TASK FORCE TARAWA SECURES IRAQI STRONGHOLD; FINDS TWO CACHES OF WEAPONS AND CHEMICAL PARAPHERNALIA

AN NASIRIYAH, Iraq - Early Saturday, U.S. Marines from Task Force Tarawa secured buildings occupied by elements of the Iraqi 11th Infantry Division here.

Marines of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Brent Dunahoe, secured the buildings during a raid and found a large cache of weapons, ammunition, and chemical decontamination equipment.

Marines of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Royal P. Mortenson, found a second cache of weapons in a building on the south side of the city.

In the largest building the Marines found and confiscated over 300 chemical suits, over 300 gas masks, atropine injectors, two chemical decontamination vehicles and other chemical decontamination devices.

"We will bring in subject matter experts to positively identify all the equipment we found," said Col. Ron Johnson, Task Force Tarawa Operations Officer.

Also found were more than 800 rocket propelled grenades, over 2,000 rounds of 7.62 mm rifle rounds, 5,000 rounds of 14.5 mm rounds, over 10,000 12.7 mm machine gun rounds, mines, over 300 rounds of various mortars and several hundred artillery rounds. Marines are still determining the exact amount of seized ammunition and weapons in the buildings.

"We found so much ammunition that it would be too dangerous to the city to blow it in place. We are going to have to transport it somewhere safe," said Johnson.

No Marines or civilians were injured during this mission.

"Marines and coalition forces continue to make great strides as they rid the Iraqi people of a desperate regime that sponsors the use of innocent civilians to conduct asymmetric attacks and withdrawals," said Lt. Col. Nicholas F. Marano, I MEF Command Operations Center Senior Watch Officer.

The Coalition remains committed to the freedom of the Iraqi people and continues undeterred toward victory in "Operation Iraqi Freedom.

CENTCOM press releases can be found at www.centcom.mil.