More weapons caches turning up in Iraq
Pastor Dale Morgan
More weapons caches turning up in Iraq*
By KIM GAMEL
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 19, 2008; 7:49 PM
BAGHDAD -- Weapons caches are turning up with increasing frequency in
public places in Iraq _ from a bakery to a fish farm _ as recent
security gains embolden more civilians to come forward with tips, U.S.
and Iraqi military officials say.
The odd locations of many of the discoveries reflect the fine line
separating civilians from the Shiite and Sunni extremists who don't wear
uniforms and often live among them. Many would-be tipsters had
previously looked the other way because of intimidation or because they
sought protection from local militias.
"These are people who in the past weren't willing to come forth because
of the threats from militias," said Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond, the top
commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad. "Now they're telling the Iraqi army
they've had it with the militia. 'Don't leave. We want you to stay here.'"
The chief Iraqi military commander in Baghdad, Gen. Abboud Qanbar, said
the quality of the tips also has improved.
"Now we are given accurate information and this has enabled us to
discover large caches," he told reporters Wednesday. "Now the citizens
are cooperating with us. Thus our work is getting better."
Cash rewards are another motivation for tipsters. For the military, it's
money well spent: So far this year, U.S. and Iraqi forces have cleared
and found 4,950 caches, compared with 6,963 in all of 2007, according to
U.S. military figures.
Skeptics, however, warn the weapons found to date are likely a small
portion of the overall arsenal. They point out that insurgents on both
sides of the sectarian divide have proven adept at getting new arms.
"It seems to me that the amount that has been confiscated is small
relative to the amount that might be out there," says John Pike, a
military and security analyst who runs the respected Web site
GlobalSecurity.org.
"It is an essential part of a counterinsurgency strategy," he said in a
telephone interview. "But I just don't see that it has the potential to
materially contribute to victory ... because it's just so easy to resupply."
But U.S. military officials point to growing public confidence in recent
military successes in Shiite militia strongholds. A U.S.-funded Sunni
revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq, in which former fighters joined forces
with the Americans, also has provided troops with more information about
hiding places.
The trend is particularly evident in Sadr City, a sprawling district in
northeastern Baghdad that houses 2.5 million people and has long been
dominated by the Mahdi Army militia of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Fierce fighting broke out in the area after the U.S.-backed government
launched a crackdown in late March, but the clashes ebbed after al-Sadr
called for a cease-fire.
Usually acting on tips, Iraqi soldiers have rounded up rockets, grenades
and other explosive devices from mosques, hospitals and schoolhouses in
the aftermath.
Many of those weapons were laid out for reporters at the former Iraqi
air base in southeastern Baghdad on Wednesday as the U.S. and Iraqi
military showed off their recent gains but warned there was more work to
be done.
Iraqi soldiers, with U.S. troops staying on the outskirts of the
district, have discovered 51 caches containing 7,820 weapons and other
munitions in Sadr City between the start of the operation and June 16,
according to figures provided by the U.S. military.
"I don't think it's the bulk of it, but I think it put a big dent in
their destructive power," U.S. Maj. Mark Cheadle said, gesturing to the
rows of rusty grenade launchers and shiny copper plates used to make
powerful roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or
EFPs, which allegedly come from Iran.
Also lined up were an ambulance, buses and several other vehicles that
the Iraqi military said had been used to transport weapons and stage
kidnappings and other violence before they were confiscated.
But it is the bizarre locations of some of the discoveries that are
attracting the most attention.
One recent tip led U.S. soldiers to a bakery in a Shiite militia
stronghold in eastern Baghdad. The troops had to fight their way into
the storefront, where they found what the military called an "EFP-making
factory."
In a feed warehouse in another Shiite area of Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers
found 90 122 mm rockets, EFP components, mortar shells and an American
unmanned drone that apparently had been downed by mechanical failure.
And in a mainly Sunni area about 20 miles southwest of the capital, U.S.
and Iraqi soldiers pulled six 120 mm mortar rounds from the murky waters
of a fish farm.