Iraqi Army Push Into Sadr City & Find Lots Of Goodies

The Iraqi army has been pushing into the northern areas of Sadr city after completing the wall that sectioned off the southern portion. As they have pushed in they have found cache after cache of weapons including Iranian built IED’s and chlorine gas bombs: (via The Long War Journal)

The Mahdi Army has stockpiled weapons throughout the district. Eight of the armor piercing, Iranian-made explosively formed projectiles have been found along with chlorine poison, eight roadside bombs, and large quantities of explosives, weapons, ammunition, and materials used to make bombs.

Iraqi troops raided a school in Sadr City on May 23 and uncovered a substantial weapons cache. “Two bottles of chlorine poison” were found amongst a remote-controlled improvised explosive device, six 155 mm artillery rounds, an artillery warhead, five grenades, two PKC light machine guns and 450 rounds of PKC ammunition, a Katusha rocket launcher, and radios used to remotely detonate roadside bombs.

The largest cache was found by Iraqi soldierson May 22. The cache consisted of “one explosively formed projectile; one homemade mine; more than 2000 7.62 mm rounds; 393 5.56 mm rounds; one 80 mm rocket-propelled grenade; RPG launchers, warheads and tails; one cannon ball; grenades; spools of wire; blasting caps; AK- 47 rifles; AK-47 and M-16 magazines; two body armor vests; a Kevlar helmet; two radios; and other assorted military equipment.”

Another significant cache seized by Iraqi troopson May 22 contained “seven explosively formed projectiles, five 60 mm mortar rounds, more than a dozen RPGs, hand grenades, a mortar sight, a BKC machine gun and 1,200 BKC rounds, a Kalashnikov rifle and five Kalashnikov magazines, igniters, indicators, command wire, charges, detonators, eight radios and four battery chargers.” A host of smaller caches were found and destroyed.

In addition to the weapons they have captured insurgents, one with a Iranian passport:

Iraqi National Police detained four Mahdi Army fighters in New Baghdad on May 22 and uncovered a weapons cache. A brother of one of the detainees possessed an Iranian passport. On May 23, US troops killed five Mahdi Army fighters in the Shawra area of New Baghdad.

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Outside of Baghdad, US and Iraqi troops captured five Mahdi Army operatives. Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured a Special Groups financier and weapons smuggler in Az Zubayr, just north of Basrah on May 21. The operative smuggled weapons from Iran into Iraq.

Coalition Special Operations Forces captured four Special Groups operatives in Rashadiyah on May 23. The target was a “Special Groups weapons smuggler accused of bringing explosively-formed penetrators, rockets and other weapons into Diyala Province from Iran” who was also “responsible for multiple attacks on Iraqi Security and Coalition forces using EFPs, rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire in the Husayniyah area.”

Obama still want to sit down with the Iranians? Yes he does.