By the Multi-National Division – Baghdad Public Affairs Office
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered a large weapons cache and detained a suspected special groups criminal associated with it July 15, during Operation Raider Nor'easter in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad.
Based on an Iraqi citizen's tip, Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a large weapons cache while conducting a security operation in the Abu T'shir neighborhood at approximately 4:15 p.m. The cache consisted of 45 Iranian-manufactured 107 mm rockets, 46 Iranian-manufactured 120 mm mortar rounds, 152 Iranian-manufactured 81 mm mortar rounds, 139 Iranian-manufactured 60 mm mortar rounds, a 60 mm mortar tube, a 120 mm mortar tube with base plate, 27 brand new AK-47 assault rifles, 13 rocket propelled grenade launchers, four Iranian-manufactured 40 mm PG-7-A2 rounds, approximately 10,000 rounds of new 7.62 mm ammunition stamped March 2008, 36 rocket fuses and nine optical sights for RPG launchers.
The Soldiers also detained the individual responsible for transporting the cache. The patrol moved the cache and suspect to a nearby coalition force base for processing.
"The significance of this cache recovery cannot be overstated," said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff for MND-B and the 4th Inf. Div. "The cache was recovered based on an Iraqi citizen's tip. We caught the criminal transporting the munitions and recovered numerous weapons that would undoubtedly have caused an untold number of senseless casualties. This is a good day for the Iraqi people."