A bomb disposal expert walking near a house on Conway Street in west Belfast where five pipe bombs were found. Picture by Hugh Russell

A REPUBLICAN group on ceasefire has been linked to a bomb cache uncovered in west Belfast.

Police investigating the INLA found five pipe bombs and ammunition in a house on Conway Street, close to the Falls Road, yesterday.

Several homes were evacuated after a suspicious object was found yesterday morning.

The find comes amid reports that a disagreement among INLA members led to the shooting of two teenagers, including a 16-year-old boy, in west Belfast last week.

However, a police spokesman said last night the pipe bomb find was not being linked to the shootings.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Mullan said yesterday's operation was "part of an ongoing investigation into organised criminality associated to (the) INLA by detectives from PSNI's Reactive and Organised Crime Branch".

He said the bombs and ammunition were "for one purpose only - to kill and injure people".

"Information from the community is vital and I would continue to ask for the public to report any suspicious activity to police on 101 or if you wish to remain anonymous, through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111," he said.

The INLA had a strong presence in the Falls Road area during the Troubles. The group, frequently divided by internal feuds, was thought to have been behind more than 120 murders during the Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in August 1998 but was later linked to several murders and attacks. The group did not decommission until 2010.

In 2015, masked INLA members paraded through Derry following the death of Peggy O'Hara, mother of INLA hunger striker Patsy O'Hara. Shots were also fired over Mrs O'Hara's coffin.

The SDLP's Alex Attwood said the INLA "represent a serious threat to the welfare of people and the community".

"All must face it down," he said.

He added: "Today's arms find is a welcome intervention against terror and criminality. It is the type of firm policing that is needed. We need it month in and month out, year in and year out."

Ulster Unionist Fred Rodgers welcomed the find.

"There is no place in our society for any group that seeks to impose its will on communities by the threat of, or use of force," he said.