Hillah SWAT captures important individual, discovers large cache

From: 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

HILLAH, Iraq – Hillah Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) police forces, working together with Coalition forces, captured an individual classified as a high value individual and discovered a large weapons cache while conducting patrols in the Hamza and Hashimiyah areas March 22.

The HVI is accused of directing the planting of improvised explosive devices on routes used by Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces.

The cache contained multiple rockets of various sizes, anti-personnel mines, hundreds of rocket-propelled grenade rounds, mortar rounds, hand grenades and other materials to include 22 122 mm rockets with 50 complete rail systems, 200 pounds of C-4 explosives, 15 120 mm mortar rounds, 20 Katusha rounds and three RPG launchers.

The find resulted from a patrol consisting of several vehicles to include both Hillah SWAT and Coalition forces during which the HVI was detained. SWAT members conducted a thorough search of the area, finding large amounts of munitions after searching buildings in the industrial area.

There have been several attacks on ISF over the past few years dating back to at least 2004. This has included some complex attacks using a combination of RPGs, IEDs and mortars, which have killed and wounded several ISF members.