[RaceBannon]

The 45-minute claim featured in a government dossier published in September 2002. A BBC report later accused the government of "sexing up" the dossier to make a more convincing case for military action. Government weapons adviser David Kelly apparently committed suicide in July after being identified as the source for the BBC report.

Mr Kelly's death prompted a judicial inquiry that scrutinized the workings of Mr Blair's government and its use of intelligence in the build-up to war. The senior judge who headed the inquiry, Lord Hutton, is expected to issue his report early next year.

The Sunday Telegraph said Col al-Dabbagh was the former head of an Iraqi air defence unit in the country's western desert. It reported that he had spied for the Iraqi National Accord, a London-based exile group, and provided reports to British intelligence from early 2002 on Saddam's plans to deploy weapons of mass destruction.

Col Al-Dabbagh said cases containing weapons of mass destruction warheads were delivered to front-line units, including his own, in late 2002, the paper reported. He didn't know whether the warheads were chemical or biological but said they were designed to be launched by hand-held rocket-propelled grenades.

The government's September dossier said "Iraq's military forces are able to use chemical and biological weapons, with command, control and logistical arrangements in place. The Iraqi military are able to deploy these weapons within 45 minutes of a decision to do so."

The head of the MI6 spy agency, Sir Richard Dearlove, told the inquiry into Kelly's death that the 45-minute warning in the dossier came from an "established and reliable source," quoting a senior Iraqi military officer who was in a position to know this information.

The Sunday Telegraph said al-Dabbagh believed he was the source for that claim.

"I am the one responsible for providing this information," he was quoted as saying. "It is 100 per cent accurate.

"Forget 45 minutes, we could have fired these within half an hour," Col al-Dabbagh added. He said the weapons were not used because most of the Iraqi army did not want to fight for Saddam.

The newspaper said Col al-Dabbagh works as an adviser to the Iraqi Governing Council, and added that he has received death threats from Saddam loyalists.

It reported that Iyad Allawi, the head of the Iraqi National Accord and a prominent council member, confirmed he had passed information from Col al-Dabbagh on Saddam's weapons to British and American intelligence officials in the spring and summer of 2002.

The Associated Press

[RaceBannon]

major bump

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

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[vavavah]

So like where did they go......burried in that dessert?

[JoeSixPack1]

It reported that Iyad Allawi, the head of the Iraqi National Accord and a prominent council member, confirmed he had passed information from Col al-Dabbagh on Saddam's weapons to British and American intelligence officials in the spring and summer of 2002.

Bada Boom!

[AmericaUnited]

cases containing weapons of mass destruction warheads were delivered to front-line units

Ok, where are they??!!

[Lancey Howard]

Thanks for the ping.
This one should have bells and whistles. Or at least a siren.

[Howie66]

Perhaps this needs to be forwarded to the "Naive Nine" as we as Hitlery...........

[Spunky]

I was watching NBC News tonight and there was an Iraqi in shadow who said Saddam had given the orders to use the WoD. When they knew they were going to lose the war they defied Saddam and just burried them out in the desert.

He said as soon as they know Saddam is dead there will be those who will tell where they are.

[Sir Charles]

What if Lt Col al-Dabbagh is a liar?

[mikegi]

Col Al-Dabbagh said cases containing weapons of mass destruction warheads were delivered to front-line units, including his own, in late 2002, the paper reported. He didn't know whether the warheads were chemical or biological but said they were designed to be launched by hand-held rocket-propelled grenades.

This really smells. A WMD "warhead" on an RPG??? What's the range on an RPG, 500 meters? Seems as useful as a nuclear hand grenade! Plus, Saddam would have given at least some of these weapons to the Fedayeen and they certainly wouldn't hesitate to use them.

I'm beginning to think that Saddam really didn't have WMDs. He definitely didn't have any complete weapons or they would have been used, either in the war or by the guerrillas. I also wonder about the claims that Saddam sent his WMDs to Syria. Why would he do that? So they wouldn't be found? So what, he knew we would take him out regardless. Now, after all this time, the only thing that makes sense to me is that Saddam did not have any usable WMDs.

[leadpenny]

Good find, Race! Should be Breaking News.

I doubt it will be discussed on the Sunday Talk Show circuit though. It will be Turkeys on platters, how to beat W and how well Dean did in Orlando yesterday.

[RandallFlagg]

OK. I'm shoving this in the noses of some "Get out of Iraq" opponents on another board and they're claiming, "This claim was pretty much proved false in the Hutton inquiry."

Is this old news or something new?