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[FreeFall]

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.411779243&par=

Baghdad, 7 May (AKI) - Al Qaeda in Iraq is involved in developping new arms and using new techniques to carry out its terrorist attacks, according to sources within the Iraqi insurgency, quoted by the Egyptian Islamic press agency al-Naba. According to the agency's internet site, after creating new missiles able to strike US combat helicopters with greater precision, the al-Qaeda network is seeking new methods, different from the characteristic suicide attacks or car bombs.

Last week a cell of al-Qaeda active in Kurdistan reportedly tried for the first time to use a remote-controlled aircraft to carry out an attack, with the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Suleimaniya the target.

The attack was however foiled. Kurdish sources say that the police had found out about the plan before it could be carried out. Despite this Iraqi security forces are said to be concerned by the technical progress made by the followers of al-Qaeda in Iraq in developing weapons and in their guerilla techniques.

During the first months of the year, the terrorist formation is reported to have downed 10 US helicopters in the space of a wek weeks. In parallel they developed chemical weapons and carried out at least three attacks in the area of Falluja, using chlorine gas.

The first known attempt to detonate a vehicle bomb with chlorine gas occurred in Ramadi on 28 January though the sixteen deaths were not believed caused by the chlorine.

The next chlorine gas attack was a suicide bomb in Ramadi on 19 February 19, while several days later, another bomber detonated a chlorine tanker truck in Taji, north of Baghdad, just a few days later.

American forces also found a large quantity of chlorine and other chemicals in Karma, a location near Falluja.