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To: GrandEagle
WE (the US) taught and trained them how to make and use chemical weapons back when they were at war with Iran.

No we didn't; although it isn't surprising that you might think we did since variations of that particular lie (that the "US armed Iraq") have been repeated so many times.

Iraq did obtain various dual-use equipment from several US companies (nearly all illegally via deception), and even obtained samples of some biological agents (anthrax, for example, which, while they weaponized it, was delivered to them by a naive commerce department who believed it to be for cattle vaccine). But there was never a formal policy to arm Iraq in any way.

In fact, the exact opposite was true. We were arming their enemy Iran (covertly sending Iran, via Israel ironically, TOW ATGMs, HAWK SAMs, and a variety of other equipment to help them defend themselves against Iraq).

About the only thing in Iraq's inventory that was of US manufacter were a few dozen Bell 212 helicopters, used as unarmed transports. And even those were ordered for civilian use. The fact that Iraq used non-US (mostly Soviet, French, and Chinese) military equipment can easily be shown by going to a library and checking out a copy of Janes. Unfortunately, most people won't bother to do so, and will instead continue to believe the "US armed Iraq" lie.

No doubt, you can find quite a few stories in the media, not to mention a few books, which claim otherwise. But they're all lies, easily disproved just by looking at what Iraq actually had. Outside of the Soviet Union and Communist China, their biggest source for military equipment was France, but they had equipment from just about every weapon-exporting country on the planet (even MRLSs from Brazil and artillery from South Africa) except one, and that was the U.S.

97 posted on 06/21/2006 3:25:34 PM PDT by Technogeeb
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To: Technogeeb
what ever.
In any event I'm glad we found them, and hope we find more before the bad guys do.
109 posted on 06/21/2006 3:35:35 PM PDT by GrandEagle
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