From MNF-I, Former Insurgent Leads Coalition, Iraqi Forces to Huge Weapons Cache.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — A former member of an insurgent group led Coalition forces, Iraqi Army (IA) and members of a Concerned Local Citizens group to a weapons cache site here in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.
The citizen, who reconciled with U.S. and Iraqi troops, knew where the cache was because he helped bury it sometime ago. He said he is now helping Coalition forces because he is tired of al-Qaida trying to force him to work with them. He said al-Qaida imprisoned him and tortured his friends for not joining forces with them.
The Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery (FA), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and IA found refrigerators that contained numerous rockets, mortars and ammunition.
Finding and destroying a weapons cache of this size will help slow enemy attacks in the area, said Capt. David Underwood, Battery B, 1-9th FA commander. He added that the find boosted the troops’ morale.
“They were pumped; they wanted to go look for another cache,” Underwood said.
Underwood called the night’s mission a success. “Anytime you can find something like this, it’s big,” he said. “It was a huge night for us.”
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