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U.S. Faced with Iraqi Complicity in Attack
Middle East News Line ^ | 10.29.01 | Middle East News Line

Posted on 10/28/2001 12:17:01 PM PST by grimalkin

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Bush administration is reluctantly facing mounting evidence that Iraq was involved in both the Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington as well as the anthrax outbreak in the United States.

U.S. government sources said an investigation of the anthrax attacks against Congress has pointed to evidence that Iraq could have been responsible. They said that Iraq is the only country that produces agents found on some of the letters.

The sources told the ABC television network that the anthrax found in a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle was laced with bentonite. Iraq is the only country which produces the agent.

"It means to me that Iraq becomes the prime suspect as the source of the anthrax used in these letters," former U.N. weapons inspector Timothy Trevan said.

The White House, however, has refrained from blaming Iraq for the attacks. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Iraqi agents might not have sent the letters.

Evidence of Iraqi involvement in the suicide attacks on New York and Washington also increased over the weekend. U.S. officials have confirmed reports that the suspected organizer of the suicide squads, Mohammed Ata, met an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Officials are now investigating suspicions that Ata was given anthrax samples by the Iraqi agent. They said authorities are also probing links between Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden and extreme right-wing groups in the United States.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alqaedaandiraq; anthrax; ata; atta; bentonite; iraq
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To: dalebert
Saddam is making defensive noise now.

You always know a bully's lying when they start shuffling their feet, won't look you in the eye, point fingers at everyone else, then start threatening those that caught him.

Saddam started posturing right after the WTC attack, and before the anthrax letters, didn't he?

21 posted on 10/28/2001 2:23:42 PM PST by LaineyDee
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To: grimalkin
Only reckless speculation. The article says bentonite only exists in Iraq. Of course that's fantasy since eastern Colorado is full of it and it exists lots of places.

Those who are spoiling for a fight with Iraq ought to form Lincoln brigades and move out on the next flight to the middle-east. We'll wait for you to do us proud.

Donchajustluvit how some think lightly of using military proxies to fulfill their warrior tendencies and evening news entertainment armchair fantacies.

22 posted on 10/28/2001 2:54:12 PM PST by Bob Burnett
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To: fatrat
1961 we regularly mixed bentonite with water in large vats at airports and kept it on hand at all times. they had bi-wing planes which would load this stuff and drop it on forest fires as needed. it was a pretty pink color.

You can buy this stuff anywhere but it doesn't come wrapped around anthrax spores 1 micron in size.

23 posted on 10/28/2001 3:05:55 PM PST by Clean_Sweep
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To: dalebert
I'm concerned about the head, with an animal you have arms and legs, so attacking the extremities will quickly weaken or disable. Iraq(Sadam) is a snake so starting at the tail and working back towards the head becomes far more problematic. It's best to cut the head off and let the rest die.
24 posted on 10/28/2001 4:12:25 PM PST by hsszionist
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To: Bob Burnett
You write:

The article says bentonite only exists in Iraq. Of course that's fantasy since eastern Colorado is full of it and it exists lots of places.
That is not quite what the article said. The point made by the various reports on this subject is that Iraq is the only nation to use bentonite as an aerosolizer in its anthrax program. So far as I have read, no one has contradicted that.
25 posted on 10/28/2001 9:37:44 PM PST by White Mountain
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To: terilyn
The U.S. knows that Iraq is behind the Anthrax attacks. To publicly acknowledge it would mean that they have to immediately take difinitive action or risk looking like wimps. Either our military is so torn down after eight years of Clinton, or they're carefully getting their ducks in a row before confirming what we all suspect. No sense warning the enemy that we're coming before we're ready to do it right. I don't honestly know if we're capable of staging two wars at one time right now.

You're missing the obvious. Iraq has presented a credible threat to use weapons of mass destruction against the US civilian population if we try to remove Saddam from power. That's what the anthrax samples in those letters communicated. Much as Bush might like to whack Iraq, he is facing the very real possibility that they will be able to pull off a massive retaliation the moment he strikes. It's ten years since we defeated Saddam in the Gulf War. He's had a lot of time to think up a winning strategy for the rematch. Remember, like it or not, Iraq took the initiative in this war. They didn't do that without some plan to avoid getting whacked. This is it and, so far at least, it seems to be working.

26 posted on 10/28/2001 9:52:04 PM PST by Clinton's a rapist
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To: dalebert
I think Dubya is walking the talk

I don't. I sense an utter reluctance on the part of our government to implicate Iraq, and reluctance to take action on other terrorists in other countries. There is big talk to placate the public, but the gov wants this to go away without a major conflict.

In the Gulf War, we called up about 250,000 reservists to prepare for the invasion of Iraq. How many have we called up now? 10,000? 50,000? Reservists and Nat. Guard are critical to our military's warfighting plans. If they aren't calling up 200,000 reserves, you can bet we won't mount any serious military campaign anywhere, including Afghanistan.

The military power we are using now is paltry compared what was used in the Gulf War, and even paltry compared to the war against Serbia a few years ago. Guess we really get mad when Saddam controls the oil, but don't care as much when 5,000 citizens get killed.

27 posted on 10/28/2001 10:16:24 PM PST by servantoftheservant
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To: servantoftheservant
I am sorry you feel that way. I honestly think Dubya is headed in the right direction on this one. This is not a nation we are at war with. It is spread out in several countries and organizations. It takes awhile to choke them down. There is a lot of covert action going on.
28 posted on 10/29/2001 6:21:00 PM PST by dalebert
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To: servantoftheservant
While I have serious reservations about Pres. Bush's willingness to really go after the evildoers, I'm not sure reservist call-ups is as important an index as it once was. We fought Saddam toe-to-toe, using conventional warfare. That strategy is history, which may mean less need for huge call-ups.
29 posted on 10/29/2001 7:18:30 PM PST by mrustow
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To: grimalkin
It has been known that Atta met with an Iraqi spy in prague for at least a week. This information didn't just surface "over the weekend." Plus FBI sources who actually gave their names said that the meeting didn't necessarily mean anything. Why has everyone so anxious to go to war with Iraq?
30 posted on 10/30/2001 5:51:50 PM PST by traditionalist
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To: grimalkin
I still have to think that with all the ships the USA and UK have sent to the region we are looking at a larger task than just Afganistan. I realize that there is a great deal of support needed for our activities in Afganistan but, it does seem that we have more 'support' in place than needed for OBL.
31 posted on 10/30/2001 6:03:24 PM PST by PFKEY
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To: grimalkin
Bump.
32 posted on 10/30/2001 6:05:37 PM PST by FReethesheeples
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To: GuillermoX
Wrong: Not the White House...(!) (Dead wrong; I know.)

Right: Many in the Media are praying for Right Wing blame...

33 posted on 10/30/2001 6:07:27 PM PST by FReethesheeples
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To: grimalkin
Odd. The Middle East News Line (MENL) tells us there is evidence of Iraqi complicity.

Meanwhile, CNN, NBC, the Washington Post, Newsweek, et al, keep telling us the culprits are "right-wing extremists". From the "midwest", if we are to believe Andrea Mitchell.

I wonder who has the best information...

34 posted on 10/30/2001 6:37:10 PM PST by okie01
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To: okie01
I believe what Andrea Mitchell said was "midwestern right-wing groups"--did not even mention "extremist." Just want to say, I resemble that remark.
35 posted on 10/30/2001 6:53:35 PM PST by Faraday
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To: traditionalist
Why has everyone so anxious to go to war with Iraq?

For starters: 1. Because they have gone to war with us. The evidence will be laid out by Bush when it is to our maximum strategic advantage.

2. They have shown themselves ready, willing and able to employ weapons of mass destruction against their own people and in the war with Iran.

3. They pursue a program of developing weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, and chemical) and the means to deliver them widely.

4. They have used international terrorism as a means of implementing policy. It is highly likely they were the sponsor of the original WTC bombing.

5. They have and continue to threaten the orderly production of petroleum on the Arabian peninsula, which jeapordizes the world economy.

36 posted on 10/30/2001 7:05:02 PM PST by Faraday
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To: AmericaUnited
So why is only Iraq capable of having this stuff?

It isn't! These links are random picks from a search on bentonite from the first page on google.
link 1
link 1
link 1
link 1
There is a mine not 50 miles from my home in west TN.

BUT they all are readily identifiable. The government knows exactly where it came from.

37 posted on 10/30/2001 7:59:46 PM PST by DonnerT
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To: mrustow
We fought Saddam toe-to-toe, using conventional warfare. That strategy is history, which may mean less need for huge call-ups.

My feeling, for what it's worth, is that terrorism will always be a problem unless the states which support it are eradicated. So I don't think we should be abandoning conventional warfare. We need to eliminate state governments and destroy power structures, and replace those governments and structures with those to our liking. Massive conventional force is the way to do that.

The only other option is to support internal dissidents and hope for the best. That has already been tried in Iraq though, with disastrous consequences.

I hope I'm wrong, and George and the boys are planning on doing the needful. But the military is absolutely dependant on Nat. Guard and reserve units to staff the massive support structure needed to undertake a large-scale offensive. We haven't mobilised that force.

38 posted on 10/30/2001 8:04:28 PM PST by servantoftheservant
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