Posted on 02/16/2008 2:33:31 PM PST by SandRat
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army Soldiers and Rakkasans unearthed a large cache in Qarghuli Feb.12.
Soldiers from Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and their 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division counterparts, discovered the second large cache in the area in less than two weeks.
The cache contained more than 825 pounds of homemade explosives, several rocket fuselages, 120 mm rounds, 720 shotgun shells and a variety of other munitions.
“These caches are quite a find,” said Spc. Matthew Hopson from Carbondale, Ill., intelligence analyst, Co. D., 3-187th Inf. Regt. “We’ve removed a large amount of munitions to keep Qarghuli Village safe and secure.”
Information provided by an Iraqi citizen led to the discovery; the same man provided information leading to massive weapon cache finds Jan. 30 in Qarghuli and Shubayshen.
“It has taken a while to build that trust and confidence with the locals,” said 1st Lt. Keenan Ellison from Newport Tenn., 3rd Platoon leader, Co. D., 3-187th Inf. Regt. “We have locals coming to us with good intelligence on the locations of caches now.”
Qarghuli Village, settled along the banks of the Euphrates River, has been relatively quiet since the Sons of Iraq started manning checkpoints in the area. Soldiers from Company D and the 3/4/6 IA are living among the population, getting to know the community.
“This is what counterinsurgency is all about; the population is the key terrain around here,” said Capt. Frank Castro from Brookfield, Wis., commander of Co. D., 3-187th Inf. Regt. “Once you have them on your side, al-Qaeda and other insurgent elements don’t have a chance.”
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