Locals Help 1st Cav Soldiers Find Caches

MORE locals are stepping and ratting out the insurgents operating in their towns and cities. Recently 1st Cav troopers have uncovered seven caches and locals near Falahat provided intelligence that helped units uncover two caches of weapons and explosives:

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers found a large weapons cache near Falahat, Iraq July 30.

While conducting a dismounted patrol in an area just outside of the village, Soldiers from Troop D, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, uncovered a cache consisting of 155 Russian-made 57mm mortar rounds.

“This is an extremely significant find which will keep weapons out of the hands of Al-Qaeda operatives who would have used them in attacks against innocent Iraqi civilians, Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces,” said Lt. Col. Peter Andrysiak, deputy commanding officer of the brigade. “Since establishing a patrol base here, our troopers have found seven caches within the past month.”

“Two of those caches were found with the help of local neighborhood watch olunteers who are fed up with sectarian violence and want to keep their community safe for the sake of their families,” added Andrysiak.

Iraqi Security Forces are currently investigating to find those responsible for storing the mortar rounds.