The United States has found another terrorist training
camp sponsored by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The camp was located on the outskirts of Baghdad and was operated by the
Iraqi regime and the Palestine Liberation Front, U.S. officials said. They
said the camp consisted of 20 permanent buildings on 25 acres of land.
On late Monday, U.S. special operations forces captured Mohammed Abul
Abbas, head of the PLF. Abul Abbas has acknowledged several attacks against
Israeli and U.S. nationals in the 1980s and 1990s, Middle East Newsline reported.
Cpl. John Hoellwarth, a marine spokesman, said the camp contained a
prison, an obstacle course as well as chemicals, beakers and pipes.
Documents and literature found in the camp taught foreign recruits how to
resist interrogation and how to become suicide bombers.
The recruits were asked to fill out questionnaires that included "What
type
of missions would you like to carry out?" Hoellwarth said. He said uniforms
and gas masks were also left behind.
Iraq was said to have recruited more than 5,000 Arab volunteers for a
range of suicide and other missions against coalition forces. Most of the
volunteers were recruited in Syria.
U.S. marines also raided the home of a leading scientist in Iraq's
biological weapons programs. Officials said 40 marines entered the Baghdad
home of Rahib Taha, known as Dr. Germ. The force arrested three men and
seized boxes of documents.
Ms. Taha is believed to have fled to Syria. Officials said several
hundred Iraqis who served in senior positions in the Iraqi regime managed to
enter Syria over the last week.