Weapons Cache: Tip leads to a big find

Photo By Staff Sgt. Anthony White | Capt. Adisa King, A Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment company commander, examines one of the AK-47 found during operations outside of Samarra.  

SAMARRA, IRAQ

12.15.2006

Story by Staff Sgt. Anthony White 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

By Sgt. Tony White
5th Mobile Public Affairs Det.

SAMARRA, Iraq—Coalition Forces responded to Anti-Iraqi Forces small arms fire near Samarra, resulting in the deaths of 15 insurgents and the wounding of one more on the morning of Dec. 15.

The counter-insurgent operation also led 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) Soldiers to a tip from a local resident. That information led to the detention of 21 suspected insurgents and the discovery of several weapons and improvised explosive device-making caches in the area.

1st Lt. Daniel Robbins, A Company, 2-505th PIR platoon leader, said his quick reaction force (QRF) was sent into the sector following the report of smalls arm fire.

"We were down there pretty quickly on station," Robbins said. "The AWT (air weapons team) observed six to eight vehicles moving west down an access road. They noticed they had weapons and engaged. From there the vehicles began to disperse. We rolled around and we were directed by the air assets.
It was a really a great integration of all assets, air, armor, infantry, to track these guys down."

Under the circumstances Capt. Adisa King, A Company, 2-505th PIR company commander, said the Soldiers performance was assisted by their knowledge of the area and guidance from the air.

"They just responded well, just working with the combined arms, with AWT in the air," King said. "After (the AWT) did the damage, you have to have boots on the ground."

According to King this was not a typical find in the Samarra area.

"The guys who had the weapons were transporting them," King said. "When you have all these big weapons, which we have never seen actually, and put them in one place it is for some big event later on. This a very big find for us and not typical. You find IEDs everywhere, small arms caches but not this."

• Date Taken: 12.15.2006
• Date Posted: 12.18.2006 10:48
• Story ID: 8605
• Location: SAMARRA, IQ