Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Possibility raised that explosives had disappeared before U.S. soldiers secured Al-Qaqaa complex
AP ^ | 10/26

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."


TOPICS: War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaqaa; ammogate; explosives; iraq
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-44 next last
To: Cowboy Bob

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.


21 posted on 10/26/2004 12:43:50 PM PDT by elhombrelibre (Kerry's message to terrorists: Help is on the way!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
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.

22 posted on 10/26/2004 12:44:00 PM PDT by JCEccles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: elhombrelibre

MSM would say, What does the UN know!!??


23 posted on 10/26/2004 12:44:09 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (Ignorance, bigotry, envy, and gluttony are a few floor joists in the democratic platform.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: anniegetyourgun
I'm with you, Annie. Fox just did a very rational report using dates and troop movements that completely shattered the whole notion that 'looters' made off with 38 to 40 large truckloads of the HE while the US owned the roads near there. Maybe they were stealth trucks?

As others have said - this destroys the 'No WMD' crowd's gloating as well.

A_R

24 posted on 10/26/2004 12:44:57 PM PDT by arkady_renko
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: elhombrelibre
The modifications are beginning. Pick your version of the truth. In AP's dim land truth comes with revisions.
25 posted on 10/26/2004 12:46:11 PM PDT by snooker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Conspiracy Guy

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.


26 posted on 10/26/2004 12:46:33 PM PDT by cajungirl (Kerry:Bad for Geese, Bad for America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: snooker

Ah yes, but over in Reutersland, one man's false claim is still another man's news!


27 posted on 10/26/2004 12:48:22 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: elhombrelibre
Everyone, see this post too. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1257746/posts

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!

28 posted on 10/26/2004 12:49:57 PM PDT by glory2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: cajungirl

The MSM is way over the top. Revolution is in the air!


29 posted on 10/26/2004 12:51:48 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (Ignorance, bigotry, envy, and gluttony are a few floor joists in the democratic platform.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: arkady_renko

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.


30 posted on 10/26/2004 12:52:02 PM PDT by albie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: ambrose

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












The NYT needs to apologize to America, and you need to run a retraction regarding the Iraqi explosives story you ran yesterday.

Once again Dan Rather and CBS News and the New York Times are attempting to manipulate a false story to effect our nation’s elections.

The Iraqi explosives story CBS and the New York Times ran yesterday is a fraud. These weapons were not there when US troops went to this site in 2003. The IAEA and its head, the anti-American Mohammed El Baradei, leaked a false letter on this issue to the media to embarrass the Bush administration.

I’m going to ask the FCC to investigate CBS and the NYT continued egregious actions.


31 posted on 10/26/2004 12:53:19 PM PDT by schaketo (Notorious for skinny dippin' in the same pond as snappin' turtles)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JCEccles

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


32 posted on 10/26/2004 12:54:35 PM PDT by t2buckeye
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: t2buckeye
You've got it. Kerry is complaining that our soldiers failed to safeguard WMDs that were or weren't there. Alternatively he's complaining that Bush didn't rush to war quickly enough to capture the WMDs that were or weren't there.

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.

33 posted on 10/26/2004 1:01:04 PM PDT by JCEccles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: JCEccles

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.


34 posted on 10/26/2004 1:01:33 PM PDT by rightinthemiddle (it means many things)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
Possibility raised

Sounds lie the CBS forged document defense..... "We are still not convinced the document is a forgery"......

35 posted on 10/26/2004 1:01:50 PM PDT by standupfortruth
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cowboy Bob
A DU'er chemical guy said on the dummy board, the way they were packed 3 vials to a box it would take roughly 1,000,000 boxes to hold 340 tons all with UN seals. That would be kinda hard to miss, and very hard to pilfer.
36 posted on 10/26/2004 1:03:14 PM PDT by bluecollarman (Bush let them steal the WMD's that never existed??????)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: ambrose

What country is Lai Lang Jew from representing NBC? China?


37 posted on 10/26/2004 1:06:32 PM PDT by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bluecollarman
ahh here it is.

"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"

38 posted on 10/26/2004 1:14:12 PM PDT by bluecollarman (Bush let them steal the WMD's that never existed??????)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
In the editor's office, New York Times:

Bright-Eyed Reporter: Um, sir, a question about this explosives story...
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.

600 posted on 10/24/2004 11:30:01 PM EDT by Republicanus_Tyrannus  

39 posted on 10/26/2004 1:19:41 PM PDT by Zon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rightinthemiddle
I suggest that Bush reply:

"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."

40 posted on 10/26/2004 1:25:54 PM PDT by JCEccles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-44 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson