Photo By Staff Sgt. Mark Shrewsbury | U.S. Army 1st Lt. Patrick O. Reilly, a native of Coventry, Conn., and the Blackjack...... read more read more
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KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Paratroopers of Blackjack Troop, 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry, Task Force Denali discovered three weapons caches, during an air-assault mission in the Nadar Shah Khot District of Afghanistan March 15.
The Cavalry paratroopers air assaulted by a CH-47 Chinook into the district the previous night to conduct dismounted operations in and around several villages on a mission scheduled for several days.
The purpose of the mission was to develop census data of the local Afghan population. The unit also searched the villages and their surrounding areas for possible cache sites, discovering three weapons caches.
“They were in separate locations but were both in cave sites,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Lambson, the 3rd platoon sergeant, a native from Farmington, N.M., assigned to Blackjack Troop. “In the first cache site, we found many components. There was one homemade type [improvised] explosive device. There were also seven magnetic IED’s. They all consisted of [unknown bulk explosive]”.
Lambson said the caches were ready to be used by insurgents at any given time.
“We have been seeing that threat in the surrounding districts. They utilize them to place on the doors of personnel that they don’t like and possibly vehicles too.” said Lambson.
Blackjack Troop commander, Capt. David T. Deviese, from Charlottesville, Va., said that his team found several types of munitions and other materials that are often used by insurgents.
Deviese said that it was uncommon to find so many caches during one mission.
“This valley is known for its ability to have caches. We kind of knew, going in, that there were a lot of caves out here. We wanted to climb up and clear the caves. A lot of them are very far out of reach.”
Deviese said that some of the caves were as high up as two thousand feet.
“We got to the ones we could but, after a while, the physical toll on your body of walking up and down these mountains made it hard to get to all of them,” Deviese said. “We got to most of the caves out there and cleared what we could. Overall, the mission was very successful.”
The Afghanistan National Army and Afghan Uniformed Police were partnered with the operation.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2012 02:51 |
| Story ID: | 85733 |
| Location: | NADAR SHAH KHOT DISTRICT, AF |
| Hometown: | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Web Views: | 827 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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