STOCKHOLM, Dec. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Danish soldiers have reported their largest weapons discovery to date in Iraq, as a cache of machine guns, mortar grenades and ammunition is uncovered near Basra, Ritzau news bureau reported on Thursday.

   Danish troops in Iraq located and confiscated a large cache of weapons and ammunition during an operation 25 km north of Basra on Wednesday, the Army Operational Command (HOK) confirmed the news in a press release Thursday morning.

   The troops located machine guns, mortar grenades and a sizable amount of ammunition, in what Col. John Dalby described as the largest weapons discovery made by Danish troops in Iraq to date.

   The weapons discovery follows reports appearing in an Iraqi newspaper earlier this week regarding Danish soldiers' purported involvement in the torture of Iraqi detainees.

   The Danish military and government sharply refuted the accusations. After meeting with Danish battalion officials in Iraq, the editor-in-chief of Iraqi newspaper Al-Manarah agreed to print a retraction clearing the Danish soldiers of any wrongdoing. Enditem