Posted on 10/11/2004 4:44:46 PM PDT by TexKat
Saddam Hussein may not have had weapons of mass destruction before the US-led invasion but the chief US inspector found evidence that Iraqi insurgents have tried to develop them since.
In his report on the work of the Iraq Survey Group, Charles Duelfer said several rebel groups were trying to make chemical weapons to use against coalition forces.
The most advanced in this quest has been a previously little known group called al-Abud, the report says, which made several attempts to produce the deadly nerve agent Tabun as well as mustard gas.
It failed, because the chemists it hired lacked expertise or because it could not get all the chemical precursors. However, the chemists did produce simple poisons such as ricin and continued to try to make weapons that could inflict much wider casualties.
"With time and experience it is plausible that the al-Abud network could have mastered the processes necessary to produce nitrogen mustard," the report says.
According to coalition prisoners, al-Abud was to have put the chemical agents in mortar rounds provided by another insurgent group, Jaysh Muhammad, which would have targeted coalition forces. Members of Jaysh Muhammad, along with other insurgents based in the rebel stronghold of Falluja, planned to use the chemical rounds against coalition forces, prisoners said.
Coalition forces were able to round up many of the key players in the network and disrupt the plot, according to Mr Duelfer.
But the prospect that rebels with at least geographically near proximity to the al-Zarqawi network could get hold of chemical weapons has some people worried in Washington.
"The most alarming aspect of the al-Abud network is how quickly and effectively the group was able to mobilise key resources and tap relevant expertise to develop a programme for weaponising [chemical weapons] agents," Mr Duelfer wrote.
If the insurgents had managed to get the right materials, fine-tune their production techniques and better understand how to disperse the agent, he wrote, the consequences "could have been devastating to coalition forces".
The two chemists they hired did not have experience making chemical weapons under Mr Hussein's regime. Mr Duelfer fears what might happen if the insurgents got hold of materials dispersed throughout the country by the former regime, as well as the Iraqi scientists with the know-how to make chemical weapons.
Don't worry. Nothing to see here. John Kerry would refer to this simply as a "nuisance." Oh, and I'm sure he "has a plan."
Well said!
Did you know he was in Vietnam?
Hell no! He should mention that sometime!
Boy! These insurgents are nuisances!
He was in Vietnam? How come he never brings it up? Maybe it could help his campaign.
Does anyone now wonder why the torturers, murderers of the American and British hostage wanted all women [the two scientists] released?
My guess, based on what I've read on the Islamic forums, is the Islamic mindset, collective "shame" on their culture, imagining the infidels are molesting their women (having them look at their women alone is shameful of many of them), and because their menfolk so impotent and powerless to do anything about it. The fact that they were scientists seems only to have made the Islamic media cover it more than if they were unknowns.. it put a face on the story. It's also the small end of a large wedge... if the brave mujahadeen can scare or triumph over the infidel this time, it will show that Americans can be beaten... encourage more jihadis to take up the cause.
"Saddam Hussein may not have had weapons of mass destruction before the US-led invasion but the chief US inspector found evidence that Iraqi insurgents have tried to develop them since."
This is a smoke screen to bolster the argument that Iraq is more of a threat with WMDs now than before the war, which is wrong.
Saddam Hussein was trying to develop WMDs too and on a much broader scale, such as the tons of Yellow cake that was found. But like these insurgents (quote :insurgents have tried to develop them since) he may not have been too successful either but he was trying to development them which is the whole reason behind the Bush WMD threat statements.
There may not have been stockpiles of the finished product just lying around in plain marked containers, or if there was it had been shipped just before the war started , and that doesn't mean his intentions were not threat....why do we have to keep repeating this to the left (behind) people ???
But to give the impression that these insurgents are more of a threat with their WMD plans than Saddam Hussein's plans and intentions along with his funding of billions $ stolen from the oil for food program is just plain propaganda from the left!
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