Russia moved WMDs from Iraq.

http://www.newsmax.com ^

[alienken]

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.

[alienken]

This is the direct link http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/3/2/230625.shtml

[Cosmo]

It's painfully easy to have miscommunications on the internet. I probably should have made it obvious what I was responding to initially and we wouldn't have had this miscommunication.

At least we didn't get into a flame war. so many are wont to get into arguments in instances where they don't fully understand another's point or assume aonther's point is rooted in some ideology that they generally don't agree with. This seems to be a major problem around FR these days.

But I guess that's a topic for another thread :)

[GarySpFc]

This article was posted yesterday.

[delacoert]

I actually have a suspicion that we weren't somewhat duplicitous in the Russians moving the material.

???

Do you suspect we were complicit?

[ProudVet77]

Yes, if not complicit, at least we knew what the Russians were doing and did not try to stop them. We already know that our air recon saw their caravan leaving, and they drove right through territory that the US/Brit SOFs had total control of.
But, and this is important, if I were GWB and had a choice I'd do the same thing. If anything I'd suggest to putty that they should remove the weapons. If they were use to kill American soldiers and the labels read "Made in Russia" putty would be in trouble.
W owns putty.

[ProudVet77]

Just for safety sake, my definition of complicit is:
"Associated with or participating in a questionable act or a crime; having complicity: newspapers complicit with the propaganda arm of a dictatorship."
In this case I think we decided (wisely) to turn our backs on what the Russians were doing.

[delacoert]

our air recon saw their caravan leaving, and they drove right through territory that the US/Brit SOFs had total control of

I remember those reports. I tend to believe that this was the route the WMD went out on. I am, however, reluctant to believe that the Bush administration was complicit (it may be so, I just don't want to believe it).

I don't know what to think about Putin, but that's a long discussion.

The thing that intrigues me most is that if this Russian route out is true, then alot of people know about it - and I am puzzled as to how news could be kept so blacked-out.

[ProudVet77]

The news did not want WMD because it was a major reason we went to war. If it does not serve their purpose they would not connect aids with homsexual behavior. oooooppppsss, they already do that.
All I can say is ignore the MSM, gather facts on the internet and think for yourself.
The reason W went along with it was to keep our guys from dying in WMD attacks. I don;'t think Sadamn ever really had control of the WMD, anymore than I think Pakistan actually has control of their weapons.

[ApesForEvolution]

Of course they did.

While our POTUS was deeply gazing into Pooty-poofter's eyes...

[conservlib]

Moving WMD from Iraq to Syria can be detected by our satellite pictures. The logical explanations, which seems difficult to believe is the one given by Saddam; the Iraqis destroyed them according to the UN instructions.

[delacoert]

All I can say is ignore the MSM, gather facts on the internet and think for yourself.

<nod>

When I said alot of people must know, I meant many governments, many politicians, intel types, etc. You'd think more info would flow even though the old media is not interested.

[delacoert]

The logical explanations, which seems difficult to believe is the one given by Saddam; the Iraqis destroyed them according to the UN instructions.

Defies all logic IMO.

[ProudVet77]

What was it that PT Barnum said?
As to how many people it takes to keep a secret about WMD going into Syria? Well all the people in that area were SAS and our SOFs. They don't talk much. They also have a pipeline to the right people.
Just might also be part of a pre arranged deal between us an Putty. Everytime W talks to putty another country seems to fall. (now it's Syria, another Russian client)

[ProudVet77]

"Moving WMD from Iraq to Syria can be detected by our satellite pictures. The logical explanations, which seems difficult to believe is the one given by Saddam; the Iraqis destroyed them according to the UN instructions."
First off the caravans were detected. The reports have not been mentioned much in the MSM because it makes them look bad.
Second, how many of the 14 resolutions from the UN did Sadamn actually follow? Answer NONE. Even the UN knew he had stuff hidden.

[delacoert]

It's useless to complain, but I'm disgusted it's so hard to get to the truth about the most important issues. The truth is known about the Iraqi WMDs, but we won't hear it. The truth is known about Kerry's military service record, but we won't hear it. On and on...

I enjoyed the conversation.

Good night.

[eastforker]

The MSM is alot of things but one thing for sure if something needs to be killed from the front pages our government can have it done with a phone call. We all know Russia was very busy in Iraq just before the invasion, so was china. Not everyone paid attention. Some things need to be left alone.