U.S. soldiers in Baghdad have discovered what they are describing as a “bomb-making factory” consisting of a car bomb and up to 300 roadside bombs, officials said Tuesday.

The discovery was made in a palm grove in the Rashid district of Baghdad by troops of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment and Company A, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment.

The munitions were found in a complex of small buildings in a thick palm grove, officials said. It was found after another unit — it was not specified whether it was U.S. or Iraqi — passed along the information.

In addition to the car bomb, the cache included 54 mortar rounds; 27 artillery shells; one 500-pound bomb; two 200-pound bombs; 64 anti-tank mines; 300 five-gallon cans of nitric acid used to make homemade explosives; and 15 bags of anti-personnel mines that included 100 mines per bag.

“This is tremendous work by our soldiers to take more than 300 [improvised explosive devices] off the streets,” said Col. Ricky D. Gibbs, commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

Three other vehicles that were in the early stages of being prepared as car bombs were also found, but they did not contain explosives, officials said.

An explosive ordnance disposal team cataloged the find and will destroy the materials.

“This find further emphasizes our ability to get after the extremists and take away their tools of destruction, as none of these weapons and explosives will ever be used to harm others,” Gibbs was quoted as saying.

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