April 13, 2004
Lourdes Navarro
Associated Press

FALLUJA, Iraq—American troops have discovered U.S. military uniforms and suicide bomb belts in an insurgent cache hidden in a house, raising concerns of a new rebel tactic.

U.S. Marines on Sunday examined a house discovered three days earlier where two such belts were found. The new search revealed three more belts and a carton with 82nd Airborne stamped on the top that was full of U.S. Army-issued desert fatigues, said Lt.-Col. Brennan Byrne, commander of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. The discovery of the house was first reported Thursday, after troops shot and killed two men who approached their positions and were found to be wearing belts bearing plastic explosives and shrapnel.

"The body bombs were a big deal. No one wants to have their guys blown up," Byrne said. The discovery suggested attackers intended to use the uniforms to get close to marine positions, then set off their explosives, he added. Iraqi identification cards were also found in the house.

Suicide tactics had not previously been used in Falluja since U.S. Marines began their assault a week ago aiming to uproot Sunni insurgents who have made the city their stronghold.

Byrne said it was not clear whether an Al Qaeda-trained foreign cell was operating in Falluja or if local militants were intending to use suicide tactics.

Military commanders, though, say several foreign fighters have entered Falluja and infiltrated the ranks of the insurgents. In the past week, at least five ˜ including a Syrian, an Egyptian and a Sudanese ˜ have been detained during the siege of the city, west of Baghdad.

A search of the house also found sacks full of chemical-coated rocks, leather belts stuffed with explosive putty, boxes of batteries with wires taped to them, and bomb-making instructions, The Washington Post reported yesterday.

Islamic books, pamphlets, tapes and farewell letters in Arabic also found suggested some of the men were not Iraqis but foreign Sunni Muslims who have joined a holy war against the U.S.-led occupation. The newspaper quoted a U.S. Marine captain as saying a 16-member cell was operating from the site.

There have been scores of suicide attacks, mostly using car or truck bombs, in other parts of Iraq, including against Iraqi defence forces, the Red Cross and the United Nations.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1081807811692