Fallujah, Nov 03: Leaflets seen in mosques in this tense Sunni Muslim region warned of new attacks using ``modern and advanced methods'' only days before gunners brought down a US Army Chinook helicopter, killing 16 and wounding 20 others. The attack yesterday on the helicopter, carrying dozens of soldiers on their way home for leave, was the deadliest single strike against US forces since the war began March 20.
Three other Americans - one 1st Armored Division soldier and two civilians working for the US Army Corps of Engineers - were also killed yesterday in separate attacks, making it the bloodiest day for US forces since March 23.
At the Chinook crash site today, a giant crane lifted pieces of wreckage onto a truck, as soldiers sealed off the immediate area, deep in the ``Sunni triangle'' that has produced the most violent opposition to the US occupation of Iraq.
An unsigned leaflet posted Friday at mosques in this area of the Sunni triangle, where anti-American sentiment runs high, urged people to avoid public places over the weekend. ``Special operations against occupation forces might be carried out by using modern and advanced methods,'' the leaflet said.
The leaflet also warned people stay at home, avoid going to work or school and stay away from markets Saturday and Sunday. ``Any persons who move during this period will be responsible for their own safety,'' the note said. Bureau Report