US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT

Jerusalem Post ^ | Mar. 23, 2003 | Caroline Glick

[adanaC]

US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT Caroline Glick Mar. 23, 2003

About 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to US forces of the 3rd Infantry Division as they overtook huge installation apparently used to produce chemical weapons in An Najaf, some 250 kilometers south of Baghdad.

One soldier was lightly wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off as he was clearing the sheet metal-lined facility, which resembles the eery images of scientific facilities in World War II concentration camps.

The huge 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence, is perhaps the first illegal chemical plant to be uncovered by US troops in their current mission in Iraq. The surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum.

It wasn't immediately clear exactly which chemicals were being produced here, but clearly the Iraqis tried to camouflage the facility so it could not be photographed aerially, by swathing it in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert.

Within minutes of our entry into the camp on Sunday afternoon, at least 30 Iraqi soldiers and their commanding officer of the rank of General, obeyed the instructions of US soldiers who called out from our jeep in loudspeakers for them to lie down on the ground, and put their hands above their heads to surrender.

Today's operation is the third engagement with Iraqi forces by the First Brigade of the US army's 3rd Infantry Division, since Saturday afternoon.

So far in the campaign, the brigade has suffered no losses. But two were wounded Saturday night in an ambush on the outskirts of As-Samwah in southern Iraq.

[adanaC]

It's strange that no one else is reporting this, but I sure hope it's true.

What will France say? LOL

[merrin]

Fox News story on the same subject.

And a second thread on the Fox News report.

[SolutionsOnly]

This is has been confirmed by the Pentagon (just saw it on Fox)!

[Freeper Lady]

It was reported by FNC about 20 minutes ago. The Pentagon released the information. Good news after all the bad news today.

[Bogey78O]

This Jerusalem Post article has been posted at least twice in the past few hours.

[Straight Vermonter]

Just so you guys know. Tom Rose, the J-Post publisher, is an American born Jew who is very conservative. He frequently appears on American talk radio shows. The J-Post is by far the premier news site about everything in the ME.

[Ol' Sparky]

Well fancy that, a 100-acre chemical weapons plant with an electrical fence...I guess the UN Weapons Inspectors must have missed that. What a shock.

[azcap]

"What will France say?"
My guess is that they will ask for their equipment back as Saddam has not finished making his payments and looks to be a poor credit risk these days.

[gaspar]

That must be why they dumped Wolf Blitzer.

[BrooklynGOP]

Seems too easy, though.

[Ragirl]

I can hear Hanz Blix now...."It's a violation". Duh! All of these Ba$tards owe the US an apology!

[Caipirabob]

MSNBC was reporting this, too. Just not as well as FOX.

CNN executives are currently lost in a dark place wondering what that terrible smell is...

[Caipirabob]

Well fancy that, a 100-acre chemical weapons plant with an electrical fence...I guess the UN Weapons Inspectors must have missed that. What a shock.

"O-oh! So that's what you were looking for!"

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks !

This is a BIGGY!!

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[Evil Inc]

Blix couldnt find his tookus with both hands.
It is not like the US could "plant" an operation like this either.

[MadIvan]

I read this story out to Happygal when we were on the phone, and she and I were yelling, "A 100-acre chemical weapons plant, Blix, you idiot, how could you miss THAT?!?"

He is either the most stupid man alive, or complicit in hiding it.

Regards, Ivan

[jwalsh07]

We won't get confirmation of "what's in stock" until the 54 series MOS guys get there. But this is a biggie, a camoflouged Chem plant run by a General sure the hell ain't just making KY Jelly for the proletariat.

[Enterprise]

Well, it certainly is good news. What is lacking still is a description of chemicals which have been produced and are either stored there or have been transferred elsewhere.

[Dec31,1999]

The left will spin it to whatever lies they choose, as usual.

[nicmarlo]

complicit in hiding it <==== gets my vote.