THE TENSION: Iraqi Informants Lead U.S. Soldiers to Weapons, IED Caches

The contents of the three caches that were discovered north of Rushdi Mullah after an Iraqi informant led Soldiers of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., to the cache sites July 18. Photographer: 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

1st Lt. Norm O'Neil, a platoon leader with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., sorts through the contents of three caches that were found north of Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, July 18. An Iraqi informant led coalition forces to the cache sites. Photographer: 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

Iraqi Informants Lead U.S. Soldiers to Weapons, IED Caches
07.19.2007
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

RUSHDI MULLAH, Iraq -- Iraqi informants led coalition forces to three massive caches north of Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, July 18.

Accompanying the informants were Soldiers of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., who helped seize the caches just 20 miles south of Baghdad.

“Over the last several weeks, the number of Iraqis who have been sharing tips with us is astounding,” said Maj. Web Wright, a spokesperson for the 2nd BCT. “There has been a turning of the tides against al-Qaida in this area. The people are tired of them and are turning their backs on AQI.”

All three caches were found buried in 55-gallon drums within 100 meters of one another.

The contents of the caches included 13 rocket propelled grenades, 150 bags of Russian mortar propellant charges, two 57 mm mortar rockets, an armor-piercing rocket propelled grenade, four cylindrical explosive charges, two square explosive charges, two hand-launched star cluster flares, a Russian fragmentary hand grenade, 25 mortar propellant charges, 100 12.7 mm DiSHKA heavy machine gun rounds, 20 25 mm rounds, a 75-round Ak-47 ammunition drum, three sniper rifle scopes, two mortar sights, 10 cell phone chargers, five radios, a pressure plate, a machine gun lower receiver, two 7.62 mm machine gun barrels, two bottles of glucose, four vehicle cell phone chargers, an improvised explosive device command wire initiator, a hands-free telephone headset, an eight-battery holder, four cell phone batteries, a 4.8 voltage rechargeable battery, a seven-piece antenna, two flip-open cell phones, four Motorola talk-abouts, a cordless phone, a cordless phone base, a toy cell phone improvised explosive device (IED) initiator, two phone cords, an antenna extension, two keyless-entry devices with IED initiator switches, two magnets, two circuit boards and various nuts and bolts.

Radio and cell phone accessories are commonly used to detonate IEDs.

An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the ordnance.