Local Afghan tip leads to large cache find

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan – Acting on a tip from a local Afghan, Soldiers from Task Force Rakkasan and Afghan National Police uncovered a large cache of explosives and ammunition, March 7, in the village of Jabber Khel, Paktika province, Afghanistan.

Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division and the Paktika police, unearthed weapons and explosives with a black market value of more than $100,000.

The cache, which included almost 250 mortar rounds of various types and
sizes, more than 70 recoilless rifle rounds, approximately 90 cases of anti- aircraft rounds, 1,000 7.62mm bullets and an assortment of explosives and bomb-making materials, was found in a house hidden behind false walls and hidden under false floors.

"The capture of this cache will hinder the operations of the insurgents in the Sar Howza district, Paktika province for the next two months," said Lt. Col. David Fivecoat, 3-187th Inf. Regt. commander. "It was a great accomplishment by the Pakitka police and we were happy to assist."

The cache was later destroyed by an Afghan National Army explosive ordnance disposal detachment.

The Afghan citizen who reported the cache was paid under the 3rd Brigade's reward program. But, according to U.S Army Maj. Mark Kovalcik, Headquarter and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, who oversees the program, the report shows more than just a desire for money.

"This is a great example of how the Afghan people are rejecting insurgent forces and taking responsibility for maintaining rule-of-law in their own country," Kovalcik said.