Posted on 03/03/2005 9:11:07 AM PST by FeeinTennessee
Russia Moved Iraqi WMD
Charles R. Smith Thursday, March 3, 2005
Moscow Moved Weapons to Syria and Lebanon According to a former top Bush administration official, Russian special forces teams moved weapons of mass destruction out of Iraq to Syria.
"I am absolutely sure that Russian Spetsnatz units moved WMD out of Iraq before the war," stated John Shaw, the former deputy undersecretary for international technology security.
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According to Shaw, Russian units hid Saddam's arsenal inside Syria and in Lebanon's Bekka valley.
"While in Iraq I uncovered detailed information that Spetsnatz units shredded records and moved all WMD and specified advanced munitions out of Iraq to Syria and Lebanon," stated Shaw during an exclusive interview.
"I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives. Moscow made a 2001 agreement with Saddam Hussein to clear up all Russian involvement in WMD systems in Iraq," stated Shaw.
Shaw's assertions match the information provided by U.S. military forces that satellite surveillance showed extensive large-vehicle traffic crossing the Syrian border prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Moscow Paranoid About WMD
Shaw's information also backs allegations by a wide variety of sources of Russia's direct involvement in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. One U.N. bioterrorism expert announced that Russia has been Iraq's "main supplier of the materials and know-how to weaponize anthrax, botulism and smallpox."
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Goldberg cited former U.N. weapons inspector Richard Spertzel, who stated that Moscow supplied Baghdad with fermentation equipment to produce biotoxins.
According to Spertzel, the Russians on the U.N. inspection team in Iraq were "paranoid" about his efforts to uncover smallpox production.
Goldberg noted that no country has "done more to rebuild" Saddam's chemical and biological weapons programs or "been more aggressive in helping hide the truth" than Russia.
It is a fact that Saddam Hussein rose to power backed by Russian weapons and Russian money. Saddam was in debt to Moscow for over $8 billion for the arms he purchased from Russia when he was captured by U.S. forces.
The primary Iraqi chemical weapons were VX nerve gas and mustard gas, a blistering agent, both obtained from Russia.
According to the book "Russian Military Power," published in 1982, "It is known that the Soviets maintain stocks of CW (chemical weapons) agents."
The two primary Russian chemical weapons in the 1982 Soviet inventory were the nerve agent "VX" and "blistering agents - developments of mustard gas used so effectively in World War I."
Russian Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Iraq did most of its WMD killing using Russian-made MiG and Sukhoi aircraft equipped with chemical sprayers. In addition, Saddam used French-made artillery and helicopters to dump gas on Iranian troops and Iraqi Kurds.
Iraq obtained Russian delivery systems and the same inventory of Russian-made chemical weapons at the same time. Iraqi SU-22 Fitter attack jets were armed with Warsaw Pact-designed bombs filled with chemical weapons. Iraq used these Russian jet fighters to drop chemical weapons on Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq war.
Iraq tried to use these SU-22 jets during the 1991 Gulf War, but they were detected and destroyed on the ground before they could launch a deadly chemical attack.
Other Russian weapons found with chemical weapons include the FROG-7 missile, 122 mm rockets, 152 mm artillery and the M-1937 82 mm mortars. All the Iraqi artillery missiles, rockets, shells and mortar rounds filled with chemical weapons are of Russian design.
Iraqi forces were trained by Russians in the use of chemical weapons and equipped by Russia with anti-chemical suits. The Iraqi armed forces were trained, equipped and supplied with the proper logistics to perform chemical warfare by Russia.
Lebanon and Syria
The arming of Iraq with such weapons has a direct impact on events today in the Middle East. The presence of former Iraqi WMD systems in Lebanon raises serious questions surrounding the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Many blame Syria for Hariri's murder.
However, the possibility that Hariri discovered the location of the Iraqi WMD systems inside his country lends some credible backing to a Syrian assassination effort to silence him.
In addition, the sudden sale of advanced missile and other weapons to Damascus by Moscow also supports the allegation that Syria is hiding something for Russia.
Russian weapons makers have previously insisted on hard, cold cash payments for their missiles, especially after the fall of Saddam and the collapse of credit deals done with Baghdad. More importantly, the Syrian economy is in bad shape, making it difficult for Damascus to come up with the required money for advanced Russian weapons.
Instead, it now appears that Moscow has extended both very good terms and no down payment required to Syria for an extensive purchase of advanced missiles and weapons. This is in contrast to weapons sales to other "good" Russian customers such as China, which can afford to pay up front for weapon systems.
CIA Failed
There is no question that the Russian effort to remove Iraqi WMD systems was the most successful intelligence operation of the 21st century. The Russians were able to move hundreds of tons of chemical, biological and nuclear materials without being discovered by CIA satellites or NSA radio listening posts.
"There is a clear sense on how effective they were," noted Shaw.
"The fact that the CIA did not know shows just how successful the Russian operation was," he concluded.
RADIO AND TV SCHEDULE
Charles Smith will be on:
The Jerry Hughes Show on Friday, 3/4/05, at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Show information at http://www.cilamerica.com.
The Charlie Smith Show on the American Freedom Network on Monday, 3/7/05, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Show information at http://www.americanewsnet.com/
It wouldn't shock me if Germany, France and China also helped. They ALL voted against the war. ALL had much to lose going to war with Iraq $$$$.
The short answer is ...No, there was no active WMD program going on in Iraq - We have had the best of the best searching (via complex hex operations) for WMD's within Iraq and have found none (of any current program type).
While some suggest that WMD's could have been moved out of Country (possibly to Syria) this sounds reasonable on it's own -
However, what is not reasonable is to assume all the residuals of an active WMD program could be removed in less than a year's time frame - This just is not possible. We are talking residuals of the chemical element, human element, storage element, proto-type element, research element, hard-copy element, computer spec element, etc, etc, etc -
Yet again, we have found no residuals of any active WMD program going on within Iraq - We have interviewed literally thousands and thousands with regard to the human element -
GWB, Rumsfeld and Cheney are all serious men who don't play word games....all have said Saddam did not have the WMD's we thought he did......They aren't BS'ing...they are being honest...like the honest men they are.
But the fact is WMD's were only one of many reasons why Saddam needed to be removed and the World is safer because of our actions. Look at freedom spreading! - Look at Al Qeade even more in shambles and on the run -
I'll take that bet.
Ride Captain, Ride on your Mystery Ship...
Ride Captain, Ride on your Mystery Ship...
:-)
Better not talk about the 'trains'......
:-)
Huh? - So my statements / logic / based off of experience stays the same between posts discussing the same subject and you think that is odd?? -
I come from a place where if one changed his opinions/logic on the same subject....that is what is odd.
And you gave no proof as to where my statements are incorrect - In fact you continually keep insisting that an ex-KGB supporter is to be believed....more so than our troops on the ground today.
In fact more so than President GWB, VP Cheney or Rumsfeld. - All have said Saddam did not posses the WMD we thought he did - (why do you think they are lying or playing word games. These are serious men who do not dabble in the word game world).
The fact is we have found none of the residuals to any active WMD program within Iraq - (of course there was an older WMD program of the late 80's and all were aware of this - but that is totally separate issue).
And for the record my comments are not cut and pasted - I type them out (which doesn't really mean a thing but you oddly are concerned about it). -
I say we invade Russia
I am puzzled by his reasoning. The media and Dums have been on this NO WMD rant for over a year. somehow he can't make the connection that the BRIBES paid for a cover-up by the U.N. Inspectors. As far as our men chasing down the WMD's, they are trying to bring stability to the country. And I think they already know where they are. (My guess is Syria or possibly Iran) I think Saddamn's operation was small (in size) and very easily dismantled. he did learn some lessons from Gulf War 1.<p. Devsix is a puzzlement.
Who cares what the left leaning MSM is spinning - They don't dictate reality at all - Just because they are pushing something to hurt GWB doesn't mean the opposite is entirely true -
Again, you suggesting we are trying to bring stability to Iraq is 100% accurate - But that went on (goes on) at the same time as does units who's sole purpose was to search for WMD's (completely two different situations going on with Iraq at the same time) - In fact finding any WMD's if they were there was a foremost concern in order to make sure stability was an option - (thus they go hand in hand).
Again, all you have to do is listen to President GWB, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Tenet - All expected to find WMD's very early on (in fact we thought we new several dozen locations where they would be) - We since found out our Intel was wrong -
There is no blame there (as to the GWB Admin) it is simply a fact - Our Intel in the Middle East has been for Sh*t since the early 90's - (Clinton was of the major reasons why).
But regardless of the WMD issue removing Saddam was more than justified. It is the media who have been spinning the WMD issue (trying to hurt GWB).
But the answer to the MSM is not to insist on facts that aren't there (that an active WMD program was surly going on....that they were moved, blah, blah, blah) - That is not the correct response.
The correct response is to deal with reality and show why our efforts are right and how the World is safer.
Show how we have fought the most successful unconventional war in history. That we are systematically and deliberately destroying al Qeade and other terror organizations daily and nightly -
What we shouldn't do is simply keep moving the goal posts on the WMD issue - (Okay, they weren't in Iraq...they are in Syria....okay they aren't there, they were moved, they are in Iran...okay they aren't there, they were moved, they are in Kosovo, and the list could go on).
Moving the goal posts because facts / info isn't showing what one would like is what Democrats do. Not serious adults.
No one is moving goal posts. We have been finding out the last several months, that saddamn had an active bribery program. any information is suspect from when he was in power. To believe that Al Queda has not had access to WMD's is unrealistic and any underestimation of the possiblities in this situation is deadly. I prefer to err on the side of caution.
tears.....tears of mirth I tell you.
So you're a secret agent man huh? I'll give you a nickel to show me the double secret handshake.
posting freepmail is a no-no.
I would think that Russia has had even more time to move these weapons out of Syria and Lebanon. Is there another client state that Russia is now fortifying with these weapons? Iran possibly?
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