CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq – U.S. Marines discovered more than ten metric tons of munitions hidden at 72 cache sites 39 km south of Fallujah during the weeklong Operation Green Trident.
First Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 8 began the operation last week near the village of Al Latifiyah to search suspected locations for hidden weapon caches. More than 1,000 artillery and mortar rounds were unearthed along with scores of rocket propelled grenades and hand grenades. Most of the caches were shallowly buried along the banks of the Euphrates River and surrounding area.
The weight of the explosives contained within these munitions is approximately one metric ton (2,200 lbs). The artillery and mortar rounds are commonly used by insurgents to make improvised explosive devices.
To give these cache finds some perspective; the weight of these caches is approximately equivalent to five full-size Ford Explorer sports utility vehicles.
A separate operation, Red Bull which took place in the Haditha Triad (Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Barwana) discovered 82 caches.
Source: USMC
