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In Search of Saddam Hussein’s WMD: The Russian Connection Part 2 of 5
The New Media Journal ^ | 040406 | Sam Pender

Posted on 04/04/2006 7:18:43 AM PDT by Blackrain4xmas

In December 2002, Russia’s Middle East envoy, Yevgeny Primakov (former Russian Intelligence Chief), flew to Baghdad under the front of making one last chance for peace with the dictator. As soon as his plane landed, it was allegedly loaded with “sensitive materials” and flown directly to Belarus. People speculate as to whether or not it was WMD, WMD equipment, documents, people, or things the Russians didn’t want the US to get their hands on, but in any event…the plane was loaded with things the US wanted. There is no doubt that the Russians did send GPS jammers to confuse American satellite-guided bombs, night vision goggles, special anti-tank missiles, and Russian advisors.

American forces found the jammers, and that’s no secret since the Air Force was happy to boast that the jammers were ineffective (USAF just boosted the signal from their satellites so that it was “louder” than those from the jammers).

Syria and Russia both sent night-vision sights and goggles to Iraq, and they were recovered by American forces.

The anti-tank missiles did stop an Abrams tank and kill its crew. Others reportedly were ineffective, but evidence of their use is indisputable given the unique signature that their shaped charge left on the tanks that were hit.

Renowned reporter Joe Galloway reported that two Russian Generals, Gen. Vladimir Achalov, a former commander of airborne and rapid-reaction forces, and Gen. Igor Maltsev, a leading expert in air defense systems were in Baghdad up until 6 days before the war. During their “visit” they were photographed being given medals by Iraqi Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Akhmed. Other smiley photographs include the two Russian Generals standing with head of the General Staff of the Iraqi Army Izzat Ibragim between them. Upon their return to Russia, the generals were asked why they went on a “last-chance” diplomatic mission. They replied, “We didn't fly to Baghdad to drink coffee.” One wonders if all the elements of the story were proven true, could the claim of “special weapons” being moved out be less true than the other elements.

Immediately after the arrival of the Russians in Baghdad, retired USAF Lt Gen. James R Clapper Jr-then head of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency-monitored an increasing flow of traffic and communication from Iraq to Syria. Former head of the UN’s WMD inspection group, UNSCOM, Richard Butler, was asked to review the imagery. He agreed that Iraq appeared to be moving weapons out of Iraq, but did not think that “the Iraqis wanted to give them to Syria, but…just wanted to get them out of the territory, out of range of our inspections.” Syria was prepared to be the custodian of them. The entire idea was nearly identical to when Saddam sent his entire air force to Iran for safe-keeping during Desert Storm.

Israeli intelligence (flush with human intelligence sources in the region-particularly in Syria, and Lebanon) reported that the increased traffic was Saddam’s repositioning of WMD to Syria. On December 23, 2002, Ariel Sharon stated on Israeli channel 2 television, "Chemical and biological weapons which Saddam is endeavoring to conceal have been moved from Iraq to Syria.” About three weeks later, Israel's foreign minister repeated the accusation. The U.S., British, and Australian governments issued similar statements.

Opponents to the war like to point to the 1000+ pages of the Duelfer Report and summarize it as “NO WMD,” but there’s a lot more to Moby Dick than 5 letters. Not even an elementary school student would dare turn in a 5-letter book report on Melville’s epic. Similarly the ISG’s report contains a lot more than just “NO WMD.” It is a resounding verification that, yes, there was a great deal of ‘something’ secreted out of Saddam’s Iraq into Syria. While the ISG doesn’t claim that it was in fact WMD in those trucks, it specifically says that the investigations should remain open on the issue because the clandestine nature and the assembly areas for the convoys that left Iraq for Syria would be consistent with WMD, WMD equipment, documentation, and even personnel.

Given that there is so much evidence that Saddam’s illegal weapons, programs, documents, and equipment existed and were moved rather than did not exist and were destroyed, it seems that logic has turned. There’s simply more evidence it was moved than there is any evidence of WMD destruction. Yet, the debate from those who oppose prefers to ignore evidence and pretend that fictional evidence of destruction exists. That door to reality is creaking open for the opposition, and as such it’s no wonder that the anti-war movement is shattering, the Democratic Party is spinning, and opponents to the war are confused.

Sam Pender is the author of several books on the Global War on Terror and the Iraq Wars in particular. His works include: Iraq's Smoking Gun, How Did It Come to This?, The Ignored War, America's War With Saddam, and Saddam's Ties to Al Queda.

http://www.therant.us/index.html

http://www.therant.us/daily_columns/in_serach_of_saddam_husseins_wmd.htm

link to pics from the Duelfer Report:

http://www.scottmalensek.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=248


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Unclassified; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: antiwar; communism; duelferreport; iraq; isg; kgb; prewardocs; putin; russia; sada; saddam; sarindar; sovietunion; syria; wmd

1 posted on 04/04/2006 7:18:49 AM PDT by Blackrain4xmas
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To: Blackrain4xmas

How long before the other three stories are written???


2 posted on 04/04/2006 7:22:51 AM PDT by Andy from Beaverton (I only vote Republican to stop the Democrats)
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To: Calpernia

Ping


3 posted on 04/04/2006 7:24:44 AM PDT by Peach
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To: Allegra; Becki; Calpernia; Cap Huff; Coop; Dog; Deetes; Gucho; iso; jmc1969; mickie; pissant; ...

ping


4 posted on 04/04/2006 7:28:50 AM PDT by Wiz
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To: Blackrain4xmas

Thanks and Bump for later.


5 posted on 04/04/2006 7:36:18 AM PDT by Yasotay
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To: Andy from Beaverton

"How long before the other three stories are written???"
And promptly ignored by the MSM.


6 posted on 04/04/2006 7:36:47 AM PDT by conservativewasp (Liberals lie for sport and hate our country.)
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To: Blackrain4xmas; Wiz

The story of Iraqs WMDs will be revealed. No thanks to the MSM.


7 posted on 04/04/2006 7:38:11 AM PDT by pissant
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To: Blackrain4xmas

Even if all the evidence and truth is out, the tin foil liberals will still plug their ears "La la la la Bush lied la la la lal haliburton hitler la la la la"


8 posted on 04/04/2006 7:38:23 AM PDT by Element187
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To: Romanov; x5452

PING


9 posted on 04/04/2006 7:40:23 AM PDT by GarySpFc (de oppresso liber)
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To: Andy from Beaverton

They're running all this week on New Media Journal


10 posted on 04/04/2006 7:58:07 AM PDT by Blackrain4xmas (Now, more than ever, with our soldiers in harm's way, we must stand together and succeed in Iraq-JKF)
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To: Blackrain4xmas

bump


11 posted on 04/04/2006 8:11:45 AM PDT by Christian4Bush (FreeRepublic and Rush Limbaugh: kevlar protection from the Drive-By Media.)
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To: Blackrain4xmas; Chena; Valin; M. Thatcher; DocRock; Calpernia; Madame Dufarge; Txsleuth; Peach; ...
Thanks for posting this.

This is Part 2. For Part 1 mash here

In Search of Saddam Hussein’s WMD: The Russian Connection Part 2 of 5 ^

Release/Translation of Classified PreWar Docs ping. If you want to be added or removed to the ping list, please Freepmail me.

Please add the keyword prewardocs to any articles pertaining to this subject.

Operation Iraqi Freedom Documents

Also here

Documents from the Harmony Database

jveritas’s blog

12 posted on 04/04/2006 3:01:07 PM PDT by eyespysomething
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To: eyespysomething

SARINDAR


13 posted on 04/04/2006 3:47:52 PM PDT by SittinYonder (That's how I saw it, and see it still.)
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To: Wiz

BTTT


14 posted on 04/04/2006 5:37:35 PM PDT by Deetes (God Bless the Troops)
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To: Wiz

BTTT


15 posted on 04/04/2006 5:46:11 PM PDT by Deetes (God Bless the Troops)
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To: Blackrain4xmas

Thanks for another fine posting.


16 posted on 04/04/2006 8:44:20 PM PDT by justshutupandtakeit (If you believe ANYTHING in the Treason Media you are a fool.)
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To: Deetes

Bumping this most important article to the top!


17 posted on 04/04/2006 8:47:36 PM PDT by MHGinTN (If you can read this, you've had life support from someone. Promote life support for others.)
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To: SittinYonder
For those not familiar with the term "Sarindar" (plus additional related info):

Ex-spy fingers Russians on WMD

By Ion Mihai Pacepa

As a former Romanian spy chief who used to take orders from the Soviet KGB, it is perfectly obvious to me that Russia is behind the evanescence of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. After all, Russia helped Saddam get his hands on them in the first place. The Soviet Union and all its bloc states always had a standard operating procedure for deep sixing weapons of mass destruction — in Romanian it was codenamed "Sarindar," meaning "emergency exit." I implemented it in Libya. It was for ridding Third World despots of all trace of their chemical weapons if the Western imperialists ever got near them. We wanted to make sure they would never be traced back to us, and we also wanted to frustrate the West by not giving them anything they could make propaganda with.

Iraq, in my view, had its own "Sarindar" plan in effect direct from Moscow. The Soviet bloc not only sold Saddam its WMDs, but it showed them how to make them "disappear." Russia is still at it.

Primakov was in Baghdad from December until a couple of days before the war, along with a team of Russian military experts led by two of Russia's topnotch "retired"generals,Vladislav Achalov, a former deputy defense minister, and Igor Maltsev, a former air defense chief of staff. They were all there receiving honorary medals from the Iraqi defense minister. They clearly were not there to give Saddam military advice for the upcomingwar—Saddam'sKatyusha launchers were of World War II vintage, and his T-72 tanks, BMP-1 fighting vehicles and MiG fighter planes were all obviously useless against America.

All chemical weapons were to be immediately burned or buried deep at sea. Technological documentation, however, would be preserved in microfiche buried in waterproof containers for future reconstruction. Iraq, in my view, had its own "Sarindar" plan in effect direct from Moscow.

Washington Times

Excerpted...see link for much more info.

18 posted on 04/05/2006 8:42:37 AM PDT by ravingnutter
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To: ravingnutter

Here's more:

"Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, head of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, said vehicle traffic photographed by U.S. spy satellites indicated that material and documents related to the arms programs were shipped to Syria."
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=10547

"Last month Moshe Yaalon, who was Israel's top general at the time, said Iraq transported WMD to Syria six weeks before Operation Iraqi Freedom began.

Last March, John A. Shaw, a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said Russian Spetsnaz units moved WMD to Syria and Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

"While in Iraq I received information from several sources naming the exact Russian units, what they took and where they took both WMD materials and conventional explosives," Mr. Shaw told NewsMax reporter Charles Smith.

Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong was deputy commander of Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In September 2004, he told WABC radio that "I do know for a fact that some of those weapons went into Syria, Lebanon and Iran."

In January 2004, David Kay, the first head of the Iraq Survey Group which conducted the search for Saddam's WMD, told a British newspaper there was evidence unspecified materials had been moved to Syria from Iraq shortly before the war.

"We know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam's WMD program," Mr. Kay told the Sunday Telegraph.

Also that month, Nizar Nayuf, a Syrian journalist who defected to an undisclosed European country, told a Dutch newspaper he knew of three sites where Iraq's WMD was being kept. They were the town of al Baida near the city of Hama in northern Syria; the Syrian air force base near the village of Tal Snan, and the city of Sjinsar on the border with Lebanon.

In an addendum to his final report last April, Charles Duelfer, who succeeded David Kay as head of the Iraq Survey Group, said he couldn't rule out a transfer of WMD from Iraq to Syria.

"There was evidence of a discussion of possible WMD collaboration initiated by a Syrian security officer, and ISG received information about movement of material out of Iraq, including the possibility that WMD was involved. In the judgment of the working group, these reports were sufficiently credible to merit further investigation," Mr. Duelfer said."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06036/649858.stm

"The short answer to the question of where the WMD Saddam bought from the Russians went was that they went to Syria and Lebanon," former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense John A. Shaw told an audience Saturday at a privately sponsored "Intelligence Summit" in Alexandria, Va. (www.intelligencesummit.org).
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/2/18/233023.shtml

"We are not talking about a large stockpile of weapons," he said. "But we know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam's WMD programme. Precisely what went to Syria, and what has happened to it, is a major issue that needs to be resolved."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/25/wirq25.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/25/ixnewstop.html

"Two days before the war, on March 17th, we saw through multiple intelligence channels - both human intelligence and techinical (satellite,eavesdrop) intelligence - large caravans of people and things, including some of the top 55 Iraqis, going to Syria."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227810/posts


Take any one of these statements and yes, it's got to be viewed with skepticism. Take two of them and it only becomes worth looking into. But over and over again we have heard from credible sources that the weapons went to Syria.

Maybe this isn't enough for a conviction, but it's more than enough for an indictment. I suspect the Bush administration has the proof - we've been told over and over again that they do - but for reasons that are above my paygrade they haven't shown us the satellite photos.


19 posted on 04/05/2006 9:04:35 AM PDT by SittinYonder (That's how I saw it, and see it still.)
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