New Iraqi Concerned Local Citizens Discovers Weapons Storage

As announced by Multi National Forces-Iraq, Coalition forces found a storage of munitions in the neighborhood of Jamia due to the information given to them by a person from the Jamia Concerned Local Citizens' group. The storage also contained bomb making materials and improvised explosive devices.

The weapons were noticed by the person due to a blanket covering items on a driveway. The bulky blanket caused the individual to be suspicious, and he notified military forces at the Joint Security Station Bonzai.

Members of Company B, 1^st Battalion, 64^th Armor Regiment went with the Concerned Local Citizen back to the area and uncovered mortars rounds, artillery rounds, anti tank mines, explosives, and two improvised explosive devices that were ready for operation. It was the first tip that the new Concerned Local Citizens group had given since they started operations two weeks ago.

"Without this concerned citizen coming forward and giving us the information about suspicious activity in his neighborhood, we might not have located this cache before its contents were used to attack Coalition or Iraqi Forces," said 1st Lieutenant Mike Kelly, a platoon leader for Company B, 1-64th AR.

The newly formed volunteer group is still in training with Company B and the 3^rd Battalion, 5^th Brigade, 6^th Iraqi Army Division, and is still working out organization issues.

After training the CLC will go on joint operations with Iraqi Army personnel at traffic control points in the area.

"We expect more tips like this to come in from CLCs once they begin full-time operations," Kelly said. "That should lead to a significant increase in the security of the neighborhood."

Concerned Local Citizens are strictly a volunteer operation that patrols communities similar to a community watch group, however, if any citizens (including CLC's) find and turn in information about illegal weapons that results in the removal of the weapons from the area, they are rewarded monetarily. The program for rewarding local citizens is called the Small Rewards Program.