TALLINN – Members of Estonia's ESTPLA-9 light infantry unit uncovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition, as well as a man wanted by authorities for making bombs, in their first platoon operation.
Backed up by two U.S. Army tanks, 25 soldiers of ESTPLA-9 raided a house, finding a large amount of explosive substances, weapons and ammunition, the the daily Eesti Paevaleht reported on Monday.
A man suspected of producing at least three explosive devices and killing several U.S. soldiers ran right into the hands of a U.S. reconnaissance unit assisting the Estonians as he was fleeing from the scene.
"So far, the guys have exercised this kind of action as part of their training, but now it was live action for the first time," the commander of the platoon, Janno Mark, said.
Prior to the raid, the house and its immediate surrounding had been filmed for some 24 hours.
The 32-strong ESTPLA-9 and the 13-strong Estonian cargo handling team CT-3 arrived in Iraq for a six-month mission on June 22.
ESTPLA-9 serves under the 2nd Battalion command of the 12th Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st U.S. Cavalry Division, its area of responsibility is the Abu Ghurayb district of Baghdad.
Parliament in April decided to extend the mission of up to 55 troops in the ranks of U.S. and international coalition forces in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrein and Iraq until June 20, 2005.
