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Interestingly, it was the Pentagon sources giving the go-ahead to Brett Baier of Fox News earlier this evening (by confirming initial reports of the chem weapons facility being captured) that gave this story its true "legs" in the Western Media.

Caroline Glick's story from the Jerusalem Post has been out there since earlier this afternoon and was in fact posted here on FR. But besides the question from Stephy of ABC News at the CentCom briefing, no one else was running with this story until the Pentagon confirmed the story and Baier of Fox News went with it a few hours ago.

If the Pentagon is now backpedaling it is either because they want to wait for official confirmation of what chem weapons it is, or because they got too far out in front of a story that now may have some doubtful elements.

They know the stinking international press -- especially the bloody French and Russians -- will want absolutely convincing ironclad evidence in triplicate.

So did anyone actually see the MSNBC report?

I went out and caught the last 5 seconds of it?

What's the deal with the second facility? Where is it?

If the Pentagon is now backpedaling it is either because they want to wait for official confirmation of what chem weapons it is, or because they got too far out in front of a story that now may have some doubtful elements.

Worse yet, they know what it is, and it's terrifying. (Now I scared myself)

US find chemical weapons factory - reports

5.38AM GMT, 24 Mar 2003

US forces have found what they believe to be a huge chemical weapons factory near the Iraqi city of Najaf, about 100 miles south of Baghdad, according to reports.

The reports also suggest that thirty Iraqi soldiers and their commander surrendered as the factory was seized.

And a second factory is thought to have been found, although officials are not sure yet as to what the factories produce.

Fox News and the Jerusalem Post, which had a reporter travelling with the US forces, cited unidentified Pentagon officials as saying the facility was seized by the First Brigade of the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division as they advanced north toward Baghdad.

The 100-acre sheetmetal-lined complex is adjacent to military barracks and surrounded by an electric fence.

It was not immediately clear what chemicals were being produced at the facility, but reports said the Iraqis had tried to camouflage the facility so it looked like the surrounding desert and would not be spotted from the air.

American ABC News cited one unidentified official as saying of the captured Iraqi general: "He is a potential gold mine of evidence about the weapons Saddam Hussein said he does not have."

Earlier on Sunday, US Lt. Gen. John Abizaid told reporters at Central Command headquarters in Qatar that there had been reports that some Iraqi units in the vicinity of Al Kut "may have some type of chemical weapons."

Abizaid refused to confirm the report about the Najaf discovery.

But he said: "We have an Iraqi general officer, two Iraqi general officers that we have taken prisoner, and they are providing us with information."

Fox News reported from the United Nations late on Sunday that UN weapons inspectors had been unaware of any factory in the area of Najaf that might be capable of producing chemical weapons, citing a spokesman for the inspectors.

The United States and Britain launched their war on Iraq last week to oust President Saddam Hussein because they said he had stockpiles of banned chemical and biological weapons.