Hostage 'slaughterhouses' found in Fallujah

By Matthew McAllester

November 12, 2004

American and Iraqi troops fighting for control of Fallujah uncovered several "hostage slaughterhouses" where kidnap victims are believed to have been murdered.

US and Iraqi military commanders said troops had found at least one house that appeared to be the base of some of the hostage-takers who have terrorised foreigners and Iraqis for months with their gruesome, filmed beheadings.

The buildings, in northern areas of the city known to be insurgent strongholds, were littered with debris from insurgents including lists of names of hostages who had been held.

A US military commander said on Wednesday that marines had discovered one site. "They found a room they suspect was used for the executions," said the commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They found dried blood, banners up on the wall, a wheelchair used to restrain hostages. They found a guy who was still restrained down in a tunnel. They believe he's one of the Iraqi hostages."

Major-General Abdul Qader Mohammed Jassem Mohan, leader of the Iraqi forces in Fallujah, said his troops had found more than one such house. "We have found hostage slaughterhouses in Fallujah that were used by these people and the black clothing that they used to wear to identify themselves, hundreds of CDs and whole records with names of hostages," he said.

General Mohan said he had not looked closely yet at the documents to see if there was any record of at least nine missing foreign hostages, including two Americans, two French reporters and British-Iraqi aid worker Margaret Hassan.

The discovery came as US and Iraqi troops continued their street by street sweep through the city, claiming they now had control of 70 per cent of Fallujah.

By the end of the third full day of operations, US troops had taken up positions around two mosques, in the main police station and in the town hall next door, even raising an Iraqi flag.

Major-General Abdul Qader Mohan says troops found hundreds of CDs and lists of hostage names.

US commanders said 11 troops and two Iraqi soldiers had been killed in the battle and at least 31 Americans and 16 Iraqis injured. They said at least 70 insurgents had died.

But the troops continued to come under heavy fire from insurgents and Iraqi rebels released a video showing what they said were 20 Iraqi national guards they had captured during the fighting. The video showed masked rebels pointing rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers at a group of men with their backs to the camera wearing national guard uniforms. The video could not be immediately authenticated.

As US and Iraqi forces continued their sometimes fierce fighting in Fallujah, insurgents mounted attacks elsewhere.

Insurgents in Baghdad kidnapped three members of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's family, threatening to kill them within 48 hours unless the attack on Fallujah ended. A car bomb in Baghdad struck a police patrol, killing 10. A total of 28 people died in attacks on Wednesday.

Dr Allawi insisted he would press on with the attack, despite the kidnap of his relatives from their home in Baghdad. He said some groups were preparing to surrender and may be offered an amnesty.

Aid officials voiced concern about the situation in Fallujah and surrounding areas where thousands of families have fled. Reports from the city spoke of bodies lying in the streets and food, electricity and water shortages. The Iraqi Red Crescent planned to deliver food and medical supplies yesterday.

- agencies