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INTELLIGENCE: Why Iraq WMD Finds Were Kept Secret
Strategy Page ^ | 2006 Jun 23 | Harold C. Hutchison

Posted on 06/24/2006 11:17:55 AM PDT by Wiz

June 23, 2006: The revelation that Coalition forces have discovered about 500 shells containing chemical weapons (mostly sarin nerve gas and mustard gas) since 2003, most of which are pre-1991 Gulf War vintage, leads to the question as to why the U.S. waited so long to reveal this. The U.S. government has taken a beating for supposed failures to find weapons of mass destruction in the press, and from political opponents. There have been some discoveries that have made the news, most notably an incident in May, 2004, when terrorists used a 155-millimeter shell loaded with sarin in an IED. The shell detonated, exposing two soldiers to sarin nerve gas (both of whom survived and recovered). It is this attack that provides one explanation as to why many of the finds have been classified.

If the United States were to have announced WMD finds right away, it could have told terrorists (including those from al-Qaeda) where to look to locate chemical weapons. This would have placed troops at risk – for a marginal gain in public relations. A successful al-Qaeda chemical attack would have been a huge boost for their propaganda efforts as well, enabling them to get recruits and support (many people want to back a winner), and it would have caused a decline in American morale in Iraq and on the home front.

(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 155mmshell; 2003; 2004; 200405; alqaeda; alqaida; binaryshell; gas; iraq; iraqiintelligence; iraqiwmds; islamist; mustard; nervegas; nuketheleft; oif; sarin; terrorism; terrorist; waronterror; wmd; wot
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To: Sacajaweau
Someday, more info will be released. It's what we do in war...keep secrets...or try to. It's how you win wars.

Saddam was very, very close to getting from under the the UN sanctions. That would give Usama a new home and it would likely be in the Kurd area, so I can imagine Saddam gassing those he missed the first time.

Could not agree more !

As it was, he was able to build 52 Palaces (I think) during the sanction period. He complained that he needed the sanctions lifted "for the children". I imagine each had/has a tunnel. I'd love to see a map as to how they were positioned

If you ever see such a map let me know would love to see it.

81 posted on 06/24/2006 7:28:24 PM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: JoeGar
That would be botulism, caused by a bacterium named Clostridium botulium. A single green bean from a contaminated can is powerful enough to kill an average sized male. It is one of the most potent natural toxins known and certainly qualifies as a WMD!
82 posted on 06/24/2006 7:47:49 PM PDT by srmorton
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To: Wiz
...The revelation that Coalition forces have discovered about 500 shells containing chemical weapons (mostly sarin nerve gas and mustard gas) since 2003, most of which are pre-1991 Gulf War vintage, ...

Is this simply sloppy journalism, or are we missing something? What can be said about the others? Newer? Older? Foreign? French?

83 posted on 06/24/2006 8:03:21 PM PDT by stboz
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To: plain talk
The WH should never have allowed the dems to say over and over again "there were no WMDs" without challenging it.

I agree. But, then again, this is the GOP:


84 posted on 06/24/2006 9:15:43 PM PDT by Cobra64 (All we get are lame ideas from Republicans and lame criticism from dems about those lame ideas.)
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To: Wiz
SOP (Standard Operation Procedures) military.

Classify what you suspect the enemy can use against you (MSM)!
85 posted on 06/24/2006 9:41:43 PM PDT by Prost1 (We can build a wall, we can evict - "Si, se puede!")
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To: Rembrandt

Should be fun - tell him Stallone says "How ya doin'".


86 posted on 06/24/2006 10:57:57 PM PDT by Stallone (Mainstream Media is dead. I helped kill it.)
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To: SandRat; SuzyQue; All
SEE THE VIDEO: http://media2.foxnews.com/051704/ts_iraqsarin_051704_300.wmv

87 posted on 06/25/2006 10:12:20 AM PDT by Wolverine (A Concerned Citizen)
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To: Wiz
The U.S. government has taken a beating for supposed failures to find weapons of mass destruction in the press, and from political opponent

First of all, with the Dims being intellectually bankrupt, we have evolved to the point where the press tells them what to say.

But the only reason that makes sense to me for the Bush administration willingly taking a beating is that they WANT to appear weak. If Iraq is flypaper for international Islamist terrorism as even now Victor Davis Hansen allows, then appearing weak should encourage terarorists to flock to Iraq to get killed and leave to us their laptops and cell phones. Bush is a poker player and he is getting the enemy to invest in a losing hand. The "enemy" is evidently the Islamists, the MSM, and the radical left.

88 posted on 06/25/2006 10:43:04 AM PDT by Poincare
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To: Wolverine

Interesting. I wonder if they did know what they had? Did they think it was just regular weapons? Do sarin filled shells look different?


89 posted on 06/25/2006 10:47:55 AM PDT by SuzyQue
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To: TonyInOhio
"That's God's gift to France, Melissa Theuriau."

Oh, mercy, she's lovely. You need to start a thread so everyone can demand photos of her. :)

90 posted on 06/25/2006 11:13:54 AM PDT by bcsco (KOs = KOincidence of KOmmie KOrruption!)
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To: SandRat; pbrown; U S Army EOD; SuzyQue
To: Bob Hyneman

April 26, 2004 - Jordanian authorities said Monday they have broken up an alleged al Qaeda plot that would have unleashed a deadly cloud of chemicals in the heart of Jordan's capital, Amman.

...

In a series of raids, the Jordanians said, they seized 20 tons of chemicals and numerous explosives.


From http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/26/jordan.terror/

Other news stories at the time said the 20 tons (40,000 pounds) of chemicals were mostly Sarin and VX nerve agent. These chemical weapons were brought to Jordan by al Qaeda from Syria. But Syria doesn't have the technology to make VX. Iraq had a history of making VX, though.

There were other news stories at the time with more details than the CNN story. But the media didn't seem very interested and never followed up on where these terrorists managed to find 40,000 pounds of chemical weapons. I guess they thought these guys ran down to the local "chemical weapons-R-Us" store and got them there.

11 posted on 01/24/2005 4:14:25 PM CST by cc2k
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____________________________________________________________

Sarin-filled munitions in Iraq worry U.S.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-05-17-sarin_x.htm

Deadly Nerve Agent Sarin Is Found in Roadside Bomb
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33082-2004May17.html

91 posted on 06/25/2006 11:54:28 AM PDT by Eagle9
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To: Eagle9

Around 1972, the Russians were supplying Arabic countries with chemical munitions like passing out candy. Syria was one of the countries getting it.


92 posted on 06/25/2006 12:11:22 PM PDT by U S Army EOD
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To: U S Army EOD
Around 1972, the Russians were supplying Arabic countries with chemical munitions

And France supplied the shells.

I think ground forces know where a lot of the stuff is at, both in country and beyond. The beyond is a different story.

Suppose there's a large cache buried of sarin, VX or mustard; What would it take to dispose of it safely (without creating an incident like Bhopal)?
93 posted on 06/25/2006 12:21:54 PM PDT by BIGLOOK (Keelhauling is a sensible solution to mutiny.)
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To: Wiz

This stuff is dangerous. Shells from WWI are still killing French farmers.


94 posted on 06/25/2006 12:24:04 PM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHO)
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To: BIGLOOK

No it was all Russian then. When EOD went over to Egypt to help clear the Suez canal in 74, they were taken and shown the Egyptain stocks. Egypt got rid of theirs.

There are reports that recently France was supplying bi-nary technology to Iraq. This is very new for them.


95 posted on 06/25/2006 12:25:31 PM PDT by U S Army EOD
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To: U S Army EOD
Around 1972, the Russians were supplying Arabic countries with chemical munitions like passing out candy. Syria was one of the countries getting it.

It seems like remember reading several articles back in the 1970s that were about a Russian presence, maybe a port, in Yemen or South Yemen. Whatever the case, the U.S. was concerned about a spreading Russian influence in the region, much like Angola.

96 posted on 06/25/2006 12:34:15 PM PDT by Eagle9
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To: U S Army EOD
Yeah, the binary tech was the phrase I was looking for. IIR, one of the roadside IEDs was a binary shell. Caused casualties but reportedly not serious (like that's comforting). Which brings us back to the problem of disposing of a cache, mixed or unmixed. You think they'd dig it out and transport (I wouldn't but I'm not in charge) or torch it in place?
97 posted on 06/25/2006 12:40:37 PM PDT by BIGLOOK (Keelhauling is a sensible solution to mutiny.)
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To: SuzyQue

These shells all look the same.


98 posted on 06/25/2006 1:08:43 PM PDT by Wolverine (A Concerned Citizen)
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To: Wolverine

No there are some differences in them.


99 posted on 06/25/2006 1:38:59 PM PDT by U S Army EOD
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To: Matchett-PI; jveritas; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ASA Vet; BIGLOOK

Thanks for posting this. I had Grand Kids last week and got just a little of this while being Grampa Taxi Driver.


100 posted on 06/25/2006 3:16:25 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (There's a dwindling market for Marxist Homosexual Lunatic wet dreams posing as journalism)
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