Maj. Frank Garcia
2/101st Airborne Division PAO
BAGHDAD --Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division discovered a large weapons cache during combat operations south of Baghdad International Airport Nov. 4.
Members of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment discovered the cache around 8 p.m.
The search revealed more weapons and munitions in a total of 18 different caches before concluding at 5 p.m. Nov. 5.
Three terror suspects were detained for further questioning.
The weapons cache included 90 82-millimeter mortar shells, 40 hand grenades, 22 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, eight RPG launchers, seven rockets, four 155-millimeter artillery rounds, four 60-millimeter mortar systems, three AK-47 assault rifles, two automatic grenade launchers, two mortar sights, two sacks of mortar propellant charges, two pipe bombs, one 120-millimeter mortar round, one case of 7.62-millimeter ammunition, one improvised rocket launcher, 800 grams of TNT, 300 feet of detonation cord, bomb-making materiel, 25 ski masks, and four sets of body armor with protective plates.
An explosives ordnance disposal team later destroyed the cache through controlled detonation procedures.