Posted on 03/27/2003 5:11:26 AM PST by kattracks
UK claims "significant" WMD-related find in Iraq
By Lyndsay Griffiths
LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it had made a significant discovery of protective chemical suits in Iraq that showed Baghdad was ready to use weapons of mass destruction.
Any proof of Iraqi intent to use so-called WMD would be a major propaganda coup for the United States and Britain, which opted for combat last Thursday after abandoning diplomatic efforts to rid Iraq of its weapons programmes.
Military chiefs conceded there was nothing "offensive" in their find in the south of the country but said the cache of protective clothing discovered by British forces showed President Saddam Hussein was ready to use banned weapons.
"We do have evidence that the Iraqi regime is prepared to use weapons of mass destruction (WMD)," Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told reporters one week into the Iraqi war.
"British forces have made significant discoveries in recent days that show categorically that the Iraqi troops are prepared for the use of such horrific weapons," he said.
Powers opposed to war have accused the U.S.-British axis of failing to present evidence that Saddam posed a threat to world security. Before war began, they had vainly urged the United States and Britain to give United Nations weapons inspections more time to comb the country and destroy banned Iraqi weapons.
Hoon conceded the latest find of clothing and documents was neither conclusive nor offensive but said the suits were "obviously to protect his (Saddam's) own forces."
The British claim comes one day after the United States said its Marines had seized more than 3,000 chemical suits with masks at an Iraqi hospital being used as a "military staging area."
Any Iraqi commander who sanctioned their use would face war crimes charges and documents found at the site were being urgently examined to gain new intelligence, officials said.
Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, Britain's chief of defence staff, said of the British find: "There were numerous chemical weapons suits and respirators left behind (by Iraqi forces) and this kit was effective and in good working order.
"We have to ask ourselves why Iraqi commanders felt that infantry in this part of Iraq should be issued with weapons of mass destruction equipment.
"For reasons of security I can't tell where this find was made, other than that it was within the oil fields, but I can tell you that we estimate that there were upwards of some 100 suits across the site, along with other related equipment," he told reporters.
03/27/03 08:06 ET
And Hans baby will nod his head in a reflective pose and report back to Koffi that the poor Iraqis need UN defense forces to help them in their fight...
So, exposing Iraq's WMD and plans to use them would be propaganda? That's not how I define the word.
By whom?
I believe you are right.
Actually Blix opined on this yesterday. He thinks it is possible that the Iraqis put chemical suits where we can find them just to scare us into thinking they *might* have chemical weapons.
I was researching aflatoxin because I came across a statement in a Jonah Goldberg article that said that Saddam had weaponized it and the only purpose of this toxin was to cause liver cancer in children.
Anyway, please take a look at this. CLICK HERE
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