Posted on 10/26/2004 12:32:57 PM PDT by ambrose
Possibility raised that explosives had disappeared before U.S. soldiers secured Al-Qaqaa complex By Associated Press October 26, 2004
NEW YORK - An NBC News reporter embedded with a U.S. army unit that seized an Iraqi installation three weeks into the war said Tuesday that she saw no signs that the Americans searched for the powerful explosives that are now missing from the site.
Reporter Lai Ling Jew, who was embedded with the Army's 101st Airborne, Second Brigade, said her news team stayed at the Al-Qaqaa base for about 24 hours.
"There wasn't a search," she told MSNBC, an NBC cable news channel. "The mission that the brigade had was to get to Baghdad. That was more of a pit stop there for us. And, you know, the searching, I mean certainly some of the soldiers head off on their own, looked through the bunkers just to look at the vast amount of ordnance lying around.
"But as far as we could tell, there was no move to secure the weapons, nothing to keep looters away."
On Monday night, NBC reported that its embedded crew said U.S. troops did discover significant stockpiles of bombs, but no sign of the missing HMX and RDX explosives.
The NBC report came after the U.N. nuclear agency told the Security Council on Monday about the disappearance of the 377 tons of high explosives, mostly HMX and RDX, which can be used in the kind of car bomb attacks that have targeted U.S. forces.
Iraq blamed "theft and looting ... due to lack of security."
The disappearance raised questions about why the United States didn't do more to secure the Al-Qaqaa facility 30 miles south of Baghdad.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said coalition forces were present in the vicinity of the site both during and after major combat operations, which ended on May 1, 2003. He said they searched the facility but found none of the explosives in question or weapons of mass destruction.
"The forces searched 32 bunkers and 87 other buildings at the facility, but found no indicators of WMD," Whitman said Monday.
That raised the possibility that the explosives had disappeared before U.S. soldiers could secure the site in the immediate invasion aftermath.
However, Iraq's Ministry of Science and Technology told the IAEA the explosives disappeared sometime after coalition forces took control of Baghdad on April 9, 2003.
The NBC team accompanied the 101st Airborne at Al-Qaqaa the following day _ on April 10, 2003.
Lai Ling told MSNBC that there was no talk among the 101st of securing the area after they left.
She said the roads were cut off "so it would have been very difficult, I believe, for the looters to get there."
This question really depends on how the explosives were packed. Without knowing that, it's really guess work, but 40 does sound like a good guess. And I'd say that's trailers like we have for our semi tractors to pull.
Kerry is accusing the soldiers of America of being liars and incompetents.
He's well-practiced.
MSM would say, What does the UN know!!??
As others have said - this destroys the 'No WMD' crowd's gloating as well.
A_R
I wish I were enjoying this story more, watching the dems get big ole egg on their faces but our local news is still reporting the lies and it sort of frightens me that we won't get it out loud enough to totally discredit Kerry.
So I am emailing and phoning msm and friends.
Ah yes, but over in Reutersland, one man's false claim is still another man's news!
What a great find! This article proves that the UN knew there were no WMD's before the war started! I hope this article gets to the right sources!
The MSM is way over the top. Revolution is in the air!
Brett is doing a good job on this on Fox right now.
...I hope he's doing a better job than Sean Hannity! I'm so tired of his ..."it's unbelievable" crap I could throw up! He runs out of ammo on a subject and all you get is..."it's unbelievable." Why don't we address the consequences on either side of this issue!!! Where's Newt? I'd rather listen to him.
Just called and sent this via email to the following addresses at the NYT:
executive-editor@nytimes.com
managing-editor@nytimes.com
public@nytimes.com
Excuse me....but isn't this what the Dems have been saying...that we searched and searched and found NO WMD? That therefore the war was WRONG?
And now they're saying we DIDN'T search enough and that Saddam actually HAD WMD but we didn't FIND or GUARD it..
..except that it was actually GONE before we got there..
The Dims and the NYSlimes are throwing out anything they can to comfuse and obscure the issue.
These people are truly Goebbels' disciples
If Kerry had been president he would have captured the WMDs that were or weren't there, by invading or ot invading--depending on the circumstances.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said coalition forces were present in the vicinity of the site both during and after major combat operations, which ended on May 1, 2003. He said they searched the facility but found none of the explosives in question or weapons of mass destruction. "The forces searched 32 bunkers and 87 other buildings at the facility, but found no indicators of WMD," Whitman said Monday.
Kerry is accusing the soldiers of America of being liars and incompetents.
He's well-practiced.
BINGO! You nailed it, JC...this is the approach W should take in refuting this one. Is Kerry calling our soldiers names again?
Wish someone would ask Kerry that question.
Sounds lie the CBS forged document defense..... "We are still not convinced the document is a forgery"......
What country is Lai Lang Jew from representing NBC? China?
"I'm a physicist by training, so I look at things analytically. The articles says there were "thousands" of boxes. This article says the boxes were 2" x 5" (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C83252%2C00.html ). Since the articles state each box contained three vials side by side assume the boxes were 2"x2"x5" or 20 cubic inches or about 328 cc. The density of organic/plasics is about 1.1gm/cc. So, one box contains about about 361 grams of explosives. How many boxes would be required for 380 tons? Answer: Almost a million"
Bright-Eyed Reporter: Um, sir, a question about this explosives story... 600
Gruff Leathery Liberal Icon: What of it?
BER: Um, this is to be a hit piece of Bush, right? I mean, the tone and all - right?
GLLI: Of course! Of course it is a hit piece. Look! Right there - The White House wanted this buried 'till after the election! Right there proof of their cupidity!(blustering, foam gently dribbling down his aristocratic chin)
BER: But sir, the article actually um. It is um.
GLLI: Spit it out man!
BER: Well, sir, it proves that Saddam was a threat (points at article) that he had WMD programs going (points at article) and that it wasn't the fault of Bush at all (points at the fact that the stuff went missing before the invasion).
GLLI: (goes pale and sweaty, whispering hoarsely) ...Rove...
BER:(hesitantly) And um, Sir? This could only mean that the White House didn't want this out before the election - because it would hurt. Um. Kerry. A lot.
GLLI: (hoarsely)...I walked right into it. Damnit. Rove...
BER: And that would mean that .. um.. The White House ... tried to make sure, sir... that the election went fairly, since otherwise it would look like they held onto this until just now...
GLLI: (slowly turning brick red)... And so I broke it FOR them..
BER: Uh, yeah, boss.
"The brave soldiers of the 101st Airborne snatched the facility and turned it upside down looking for WMDs. They found no trace of the explosives that the IAEA had placed under seal. Unfortunately, because of delays in trying to persuade the UN, France, and other nations to get on board and stop the madman Saddam, it looks like Saddam managed to get the stuff out, probably to Syria, before we could stop him.
"Now that's according to the reports I received from the honorable men of the 101st who put their lives squarely on the line to secure that facility. Apparently my opponent doesn't believe those good soldiers. He says the operation was botched and that their reports are false. I'm appalled that he would stoop so low as to accuse the soldiers of the 101st Airborne of incompetence and dishonesty--appalled, but not surprised. He bashed our soldiers in 1971, calling them war criminals and accusing them of all kinds of outrageous misconduct.
"It's easy to see why he's doing it. It launched his political career then, and I suppose he believes it will salvage his presidential ambitions today. I pray to God, not for myself, but for our men and women in uniform that he doesn't become commander-in-chief by such despicable means."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.