Soldiers from the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment "found a weapons cache with thousands of rounds of ammunition" eight kilometers (five miles) east of Ramadi on Wednesday, a statement said.

The unit was on a reconnaissance mission when it found the cache.

"The unit found a 120mm mortar round near the road during its mission. They subsequently found another 120mm round, prompting the troop to conduct a more intense search," it said.

US forces regularly come under attack in the Ramadi area, which is considered a stronghold of sympathizers of Saddam Hussein's ousted regime.

WAR.WIRE