By Spc. Aaron Ritter
MOSUL, Iraq -- Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) prevented a number of potentially devastating attacks against Iraqi civilians and security forces after the Soldiers located and destroyed a large weapons cache, Dec. 7, in Mosul.
Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, known as "Deuce Four," discovered the cache during a search of a scrap yard in the western Mosul neighborhood of Uhud.
"We figured that the anti-Iraqi forces had a rocket-propelled grenade cache," said Lt. Col. Michael Kurilla, battalion commander.
But what the Soldiers of Deuce Four found far exceeded their expectations. They uncovered a fully functional white truck with the hand painted words "police" on the side. Seventeen large caliber mortar rounds rested in the truck bed and exposed wires led Soldiers to believe terrorists planned to use the truck as a deceptive car bomb in the future.
Soldiers also confiscated 34 large caliber mortar rounds, several spools of wire, two RPG rounds with eight booster rockets, 66 empty 60mm mortar cases and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Many of the rounds were hidden in tubing or under metal siding.
"Additionally, we found a shelter with Jihad books, notes about munitions locations, tons of anti-Multi-National Forces propaganda, 250,000 dinars and electronic switches," Kurilla said.
As Soldiers received small arms fire, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team responded to the scene and reduced the munitions. While departing, the Soldiers again came under attack, this time with RPG fire from a nearby mosque, but escaped uninjured.
Kurilla said Tuesday's search was in response to previous insurgent activities in the neighborhood, primarily the attacks that occurred on Dec. 3, as well as his battalion's desire to address the concerns of the community.
On Dec 3, insurgents attempted to ambush a Deuce Four patrol along a two-kilometer stretch of roadway in the neighborhood. The ambush consisted of 8-10 roadside bombs and an estimated 70 insurgent fighters armed with RPGs, AK-47s and machine guns.
In response to that attack just two hours later, Deuce Four, together with Iraqi Security Forces responded in force with a coordinated attack against identified insurgent positions. The intent of the joint operation was to execute a large-scale offensive attack that would restrict the freedom of movement for insurgent fighters and clear the pockets of resistance. Iraqi security forces cleared a mosque used by insurgents to attack the Soldiers. While clearing the mosque, they discovered a large cache of weapons consisting of RPG rounds, anti-tank grenades and machine guns. The combined efforts of the security forces" operation eliminated more than two dozen insurgents.
Kurilla and the Soldiers of Deuce Four often return to the site of previous attacks to get a feel for the attitude of the people in the neighborhood.
"The commander likes to revisit the places where terrorists have engaged our forces to get the local populace's view of the situation," said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Bowman, the battalion reconnaissance platoon sergeant. "We're here not only to defeat the insurgents but also to try to win the hearts and minds of the citizens who have to live with both terrorists and Multi-National Forces each day."
Bowman said the support of the local citizens is important because they are a key source of information about what is going on in their neighborhoods, whether it is good, bad or indifferent. By sharing information to the Multi-National Forces and Iraqi security forces, they can help provide a safer environment for all citizens and minimize the amount of disruption to their lives.
"Every little bit we can find and get off the streets is that much better for us and it hurts the terrorists from all angles," Bowman said. "Anything we can find to keep innocent civilians and security forces from being injured is a big win in our book."
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| Date Taken: | 12.20.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2004 08:15 |
| Story ID: | 729 |
| Location: | MOSUL, IQ |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 23 |
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