Large cache of weapons uncovered

(23 Jun 2002)

Surwipan, Eastern Paktia Province
1. Various of Gunner on Chinook helicopter
2. Royal marines in helicopter
3. Wide shot of village
4. Royal marines at village
5. Various of troop with gun
6. Villagers watching
7. Captured weapons in garden
8. Ammunitions cases in room
9. Royal marines checking weapons and ammunition
10. Ammunition being carried out in garden
11. Royal marines opening ammunition boxes
12. More of ammunition being carried
13. Royal marines counting boxes
14. Rockets on the ground
15. Troops checking boxes
16. Marine looking at anti-aircraft gun
17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sergeant Buck Ryan, British Royal Marine:
"On entering the compound we came across a large amount of weapons, a lot are large calibre weapons, supporting arms, along with a 120-millimeter mortar, machine guns used in anti-aircraft role, and a large quantity of ammunition, which is probably the largest amount found in one place."
18. Marines checking mortars
19. Troops going through ammunition bag
20. Bullet belts being placed in box
21. Troops checking anti-aircraft gun
22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sergeant Buck Ryan, British Royal Marine:
"The ammunition, (we found) many thousands of rounds for each different weapons system, over 50,000 small arms rounds, hundreds of rockets and large calibre bombs were found, detonators and stuff for making improvised explosives and booby traps."
(QUESTION: And is this the type of stuff you would normally associate with local protection?)
"Not exactly, not this type of weaponry, this is more specialist equipment for a larger force to use."
23. Marines checking boxes

STORYLINE:

British marines have found rockets and heavy weapons they believe may have belonged to al-Qaida or the Taliban.

They found rooms piled high with mortars after storming a compound in an Afghan village and breaking through a stone wall.

On Sunday, marines said the weapons cache was one of the biggest found by troops who have been scouring southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border for al-Qaida or Taliban fighters.

More than 10 men were found in the compound and surrendered without resistance.

They were questioned by the marines and some were held, though the marines would not say how many.

The cache was found on Saturday, when marines on a patrol in the village of Surwipan, 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the town of Khost, spotted the compound and became suspicious because of a large antenna array on its roof.

Royal marine Sergeant Buck Ryan said that when the marines from Britain's Zulu Company approached the compound, a man peeking out the door suddenly slammed it shut.

The marines heard shouting and commotion from inside, so the troops broke in through the stone wall.

The Britons spent the next 24 hours counting the weapons found stored in five or six rooms and searching them for booby traps.

On Sunday, they stacked up box after box of rockets and ammunition in the compound's courtyard.

The armoury included hundreds of large mortar rounds and rockets, thousands of recoilless rocket rounds and 65-thousand rounds of small arms ammunition.

Also found were stacks of rocket launchers, several anti-aircraft machine guns and several large mortar launchers.

Much of the equipment was new.

There were also several boxes of plastic explosives as well as timers, detonation cord and other equipment for making bombs and booby traps.

Sergeant Ryan said the stash was too large to be used for standard village defence and was "more specialist equipment for a larger force to use".
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