Concerned citizen's tip leads to massive mortar cache

Photo By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett | Acting on a tip from a concerned local citizen, Soldiers from Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division discovered a massive cache of mortar rounds on Oct. 14 near 50 Dar, Iraq.  

IRAQ

10.18.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett 

4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

"Finding this cache was 100 percent a result of the tip," Mills said. "We would never have found it if not for the assistance and information of the Concerned Local Citizen (Program). If this was a patrol anywhere else in our (area of operations), we would have walked right by it."

Acting on tips provided by a local citizen, Soldiers from Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division discovered 474 81mm mortar rounds, in the village of 50 Dar. 22 of the rounds contained homemade explosives.

"The cache was in a remote location, approximately four kilometers from the nearest paved road," according to Capt. Troy Mills, Fierce Company commander. Approximately half the rounds were buried in an old water tank completely covered by dirt and the rest were in a canal buried by reeds.

CF destroyed the mortar rounds at the site.

"My first thought when I saw the cache was the injuries and damage that that much munitions could cause CF and the Iraqi people," Mills said. "By destroying this cache, it shows the Iraqi people that we are determined to stop insurgent activity by acting on intel they give."

• Date Taken: 10.18.2007
• Date Posted: 10.18.2007 00:21
• Story ID: 13080
• Location: IQ