Posted on 03/27/2003 5:42:28 PM PST by k2blader
EVIL PROOF
By BRUCE WILSON in London
28mar03
BRITISH troops have uncovered a bunker full of weapons of mass destruction in the southern Iraqi oilfields.
The Ministry of Defence released a dramatic video it said showed more than 100 chemical warfare protection suits and mounds of dozens of artillery rounds it said contained suspected "weapons of mass destruction".
It was not immediately clear if the weapons contained chemical or biological warheads. They were not believed to be nuclear.
The bunker had been recently deserted by fleeing Iraqi troops attacked by a unit from the Irish Guards, a spokesman said.
The film showed Guardsmen turning over chemical suits and standing beside piles of shells said to contain the deadly warheads.
For security reasons, the MoD would not locate the bunker beyond saying it was in the middle of an oilfield.
It added that British troops had managed to put out some of the fires started by the Iraqis as part of their "scorched oil" policy.
British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the find "proves categorically" that Iraq is ready to use weapons of mass destruction against allied forces.
The issue of protective gear to Iraqi troops in the south of the country had already indicated that Saddam Hussein may be considering the use of chemical or biological weapons, but fresh evidence uncovered over the past few days had proved it beyond doubt, Mr Hoon said.
He tried to contrast Saddam's readiness to use such weapons with the coalition's efforts to avoid civilian casualties, and repeated claims that missiles that killed at least 14 civilians in Baghdad yesterday may have been Iraqi rather than allied.
Reporters in Baghdad said the missile had almost certainly come from an allied aircraft.
The discovery of the weapons of mass destruction came at a time when British armour was preparing to fight what defence officials said was its biggest tank battle since World War II.
There has been a fear since the campaign started that elite Iraqi troops would be ordered to use chemical or biological weapons.
The well-built bunker shown in the film looked as if it had been occupied by well-equipped soldiers. However, they apparently fled without a fight.
Mr Hoon urged the public not to allow individual setbacks and delays to distract them from the overall picture of the campaign, which, he said. was unfolding successfully.
He said: "Coalition forces are making good progress in overcoming the resistance of the Iraqi security forces with great courage and resilience.
"This campaign is only in its eighth day. We all wish to see a speedy end to conflict.
"The campaign is going to plan. We are, with our coalition partners, involved in a deliberate and cautious endeavour. We will not stop until Saddam Hussein and his appalling regime has fallen from power and weapons of mass destruction are dismantled.
"We have time to see this through. Saddam Hussein's time is running out."
I heard about this yesterday. Can't remember where.
key word...not too reliable Id say
Sorry mate, Blix just retired...
I'm convinced we're not announcing these things so that he will continue NOT to start using them in the early stages of the conflict.
He would have used them in the final stages in any case -- when his back's against the wall -- but why give him reason to use them earlier?
The Ministry of Defence revealed that the Royal Irish Regiment discovered the suits and gas masks, which were in good working order, in a command post abandoned by Iraqi troops in the Rumaila oilfield of southern Iraq.
Mr Hoon originally told a press briefing at the MoD that the find showed categorically that "the Iraqi regime is prepared to use weapons of mass destruction". But when a reporter pointed out that similar suits were used by Iraq in the 1980s to protect against chemical attack from Iran, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the Chief of Defence Staff, conceded that the equipment found was not offensive. "There is no evidence so far in what we've found," he said. "They ought to be defensive protection suits and respirators and so forth ... So far we didn't find anything which was offensive, no." The kit was "effective, well cared for and in good working order", he added.
Mr Hoon later admitted that the evidence was "obviously not conclusive" evidence that the Iraqis were set to use chemical weapons against UK or US troops. But he added: "It's clearly indicative of an intention; otherwise why equip his own forces to deal with a threat which he knows we do not have? So it must only be to protect his forces from his own use of those weapons."
Mr Hoon repeated Tony Blair's warning this week that any Iraqi commander who sanctions the use of such weapons would be committing a war crime and "will be held personally responsible for his action".
Iraqi PoWs have given details to US forces of chemical protection suits issued to them, but until now no clear evidence had been found.
The MoD showed a film recorded in recent days of soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment searching a recently deserted Iraqi command position in the Rumaila oilfield. Sir Michael said the Iraqi troops had "left in a hurry", abandoning equipment and paperwork, which was now being examined by intelligence staff. Sir Michael added that the documentation may offer information about Iraq's plans to use weapons of mass destruction.
"The use of chemical and biological weapons against our forces has always been one of our chief concerns," he said. "We certainly remember the terrible results of their use in the past, and making sure that the regime does not get the opportunity to deploy these weapons has been a high priority in our planning and target selection."
Mr Hoon said no non-lethal chemical weapons such as CS gas had been used in the campaign by the UK. Britain was fully signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention which prohibited the use of such weapons in conflict.
Independent.co.uk - Hoon withdraws claim that protection suits are 'proof' of chemical weapons
Hoon withdraws claim that protection suits are 'proof' of chemical weapons
Based on what? I mean, what expertise to these reporters possess? They all have Iraqi Interior Ministry handlers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.