CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines carrying out Operation Northern Venture in Iraq uncovered 14 buried arms caches in al-Anbar province, the U.S. military reported.
Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, discovered the stockpiles on Sunday while patrolling north of Fallujah. The operation was intended to disrupt insurgent activity in the province.
"The discovery of such caches is extremely important as it provides the Iraqi civilians a better sense of security," said Lt. Col. Kenneth M. DeTreux, battalion commanding officer. "When we take these weapons away, we lessen the ability of the enemy to terrorize and intimidate civilians."
Acting on intelligence reports, the Marines were able to locate and uncover the buried caches that included various types of ordnance. They destroyed the explosive materials on site and transported the machine guns, rifles, and ammunition back to Camp Fallujah.
"The caches that we found were a mix of all sorts of ordnance from mortars to heavy machine guns," said Maj. Sean M. Riordan, battalion executive officer. "There's no doubt that the rural areas in Iraq contain numerous weapons caches, and the things we took away from the insurgency help to chip away at their tactical capabilities."
