Monday, February 11, 2008

Sons of Iraq Identify Two Caches, Report to Coalition Forces

Story by Sgt. Natalie Rostek, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Members of the Sons of Iraq in the Mada’in Qada notified 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team Soldiers of two weapons caches, Feb. 7.

The first cache was found by SoI south of Salman Pak, who called a linguist from Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, to inform him of the find.

After receiving the information, leaders of Company A had the linguist call leaders of the 1st Battalion, 1st National Police Brigade requesting they secure the cache site. The cache was brought to the house of Sheik Ali, leader of the SoI of Salman Pak.

Third platoon, Company A Soldiers assessed the cache consisting of six Russian bombs, seven rocket-propelled grenades, a 120 mm mortar round, two 60 mm mortar rounds, three 14 mm high explosive anti-tank rounds, a 30 mm smoke round, a container with unknown explosive material, an empty propane tank and two anti-tank mines.

The second cache was found by the leader of a SoI group from Tuwaitha who turned the cache over to Soldiers from Company D, 1-15 Inf. Regt., currently attached to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment.

The second cache contained 38 57 mm Russian projectiles and a yellow refrigerant tank filled with 30 to 40 pounds of unknown explosive material.

The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., has been deployed to in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

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