Iranian-made weapons and explosives discovered in Iraq

By Mohammed al-Qaisi in Baghdad
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-07-24

[Ali al-Saadi/AFP/Getty Images] "Made in Iran" marked many of the weapons and explosives recently uncovered.

Iraqi forces seized four caches of weapons and explosives -- many marked "Made in Iran" -- in various locations across the country last week, security officials announced Wednesday (July 21st).

Some of the caches contained large quantities of dangerous materials used in wiring car bombs and making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and medium-range rockets.

In Maysan province, members of the rapid reaction force discovered a weapons and explosives cache southeast of al-Amarah on July 19th.

The Ministry of Interior said the cache included 180 hand grenades, 20 RPG-7s, and 120 kilograms of explosives.

In Anbar, Aifan al-Issawi, chairman of Security and Defence Committee in Anbar Provincial Council, said Iraqi forces in the province seized a large weapons cache July 18th, "which is considered the biggest source of supply for al-Qaeda's operations in Anbar. With the discovery of such a cache, the terrorists have lost an important source for supplying their crimes."

Al-Issawi said the cache was located in eastern Fallujah and included fifty-two 82-caliber mortars, 22 Iranian-made Katyusha rockets, as well as light weapons and 36 remote controlled sticky bombs carrying the label "Made in Iran in 2009".

"This is the third time Iranian-made weapons were found in Anbar," al-Issawi said. "These weapons are used by terrorist groups to kill Iraqis, sow terror in the hearts of citizens, kill innocent people, and undermine the democratic process and the security situation in general."

"Al-Qaeda is significantly benefiting from these Iranian-made weapons and the Iraqis are paying the price with their own lives," al-Issawi said.

In Baghdad, Maj. Hussain Jassim of the Iraqi Army's 54th Brigade said a joint force of Iraqi police and army and a US team of advisors carried out a raid on July 16th on a building in the industrial neighbourhood in al-Khadhra and found large quantities of explosive materials.

Jassim said security forces found "C4 and TNT materials, IEDs, medium and light weapons, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and sticky bombs made of Iranian explosives that are used in assassinations of political and social figures and Iraqi scientists and citizens".

The contents of the cache were transferred to a military barracks outside the capital for disposal away from the city centre.

Ninawa Operations Command also announced the discovery of a strategic cache belonging to al-Qaeda in Mosul.

Lt. Col. Suhail al-Naseri of Ninawa Operations Room said a joint Iraqi-US force found the cache last week in al-Tanak neighbourhood, west of Mosul, after a citizen provided information about the cache.

Iraqis forces arrested two suspects who were hiding at the location.

"The cache was found at a deserted house in the middle of the poor neighbourhood," al-Naseri said. "The terrorists frequented the cache at different hours, especially in the evening, to get explosives to and from it."

Iraqi citizens said the discovery of the weapons caches will improve security in Iraqi streets.

"The place where these caches, which carry the smell of death and destruction, are found is not important," said Ghassan Fahmi, 32, a government employee in Baghdad. "Rather, the important thing is that they were seized and brought into safe hands and al-Qaeda can no longer use them to kill or threaten us."

"The countries that are supporting al-Qaeda against Iraqis must know that the Iraqi people will never forget those who caused harm to them and facilitated the entry of those weapons to the terrorists in order to kill us," said Feras Sami, 49, another Baghdad resident.

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