Soldiers Find Three Weapons Caches in Baghdad

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2006 – U.S. soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad have found three weapons caches and captured six suspected terrorists in and around Baghdad since yesterday. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 89th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, found a large weapons cache during a dismounted patrol southwest of Baghdad around 2 p.m. yesterday. The cache consisted of 100 155 mm artillery rounds with trip wires, 1,000 7.62 mm sniper-rifle rounds, two burlap bags containing rockets, and an unknown amount of bomb-making materials.

Earlier yesterday, soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, seized a weapons cache from the septic system of a resident's home in northern Baghdad around 11:55 a.m. The cache consisted of an AK-47 assault rifle, a 9 mm pistol, eight fully loaded AK-47 magazines and two Russian-made hand grenades.

A day earlier, an Iraqi citizen's tip led soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, to the discovery of a large weapons cache and the apprehension of six suspected terrorists in southeastern Baghdad around 6:40 p.m. Sept. 18.

A concerned Iraqi citizen told the soldiers that terrorists attempted to kidnap civilians in front of his residence. The soldiers then saw a suspicious vehicle speeding away from the area. The vehicle was stopped at a nearby Iraqi police checkpoint and searched, revealing an AK-47 assault rifle.

Soldiers then conducted a detailed search of the area and seized weapons caches consisting of 30 rocket-propelled-grenade rounds, four RPG launchers, a 60 mm mortar tube, seven 82 mm mortar rounds, three flash-bang grenades, a fragmentation grenade, two PKM machine guns, two AK-47 assault rifles, a PPSH machine gun, two SKS assault rifles, a PPSH drum with ammo, two drums of 7.62 mm ammunition, 18 loaded AK-47 magazines, 2,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and various bomb-making materials.

The six suspected terrorists involved in the incident were detained for questioning.

As of Sept. 18, Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers have cleared about 70,000 buildings, 60 mosques and 50 neighborhoods, detained more than 107 terrorist suspects, seized more than 1,300 weapons, registered more than 750 weapons, and found 34 weapons caches in support of Operation Together Forward. The combined forces also have removed more than 126,811 cubic meters of trash from the streets of Baghdad.