Over the weekend, Coalition forces were tipped off to a major weapons cache in the turbulent province of Diyala. According to Capt. Clayton Combs, who commands the 1st Cavalry unit which raided what he called “an IED factory,” the cache included 15 122-mm rockets, two dozen 120-mm mortar rounds, mines, anti-aircraft ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades. Combs also reported the discovery of some 150 machine-milled copper plates that are necessary to build the explosively formed projectiles (EFPs)–the most deadly form of IED–that have killed so many U.S. military personnel in Iraq. The copper plates, Combs said, we’re of Iranian origin, as were the rockets and mortars, which were dated to 2002 and 2006. Though the Captain was careful not to point the finger directly at the Iranian government, as the Los Angeles Times reported, the press briefing was “the latest attempt to link the deadliest form of roadside bombs in Iraq to components manufactured in Iran.”
A U.S. soldier sets up a display of seized bomb components.
U.S. military officials said the components were clearly Iranian-made. (Courtesy of AFP/Getty Images)
