Banned missile programme found in Iraq

The Associated Press ^ | 6/4/03

[LdSentinal]

LONDON (AFP) - US and British experts have discovered that Iraq was developing a banned missile, capable of reaching Israel and other parts of the Middle East, the Times reported, quoting "senior government sources".

The right-of-centre newspaper said it understood British Prime Minister Tony Blair , who has called for patience in the search for Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, has been told that rocket motors for the missiles have been found.

Sources told the paper that in the past few weeks weapons experts discovered that the Abu Ghraib military base near Baghdad was developing a weapon with a range of about 960 kilometres (600 miles).

Under limits set by the UN Security Council, Iraq was allowed to missiles with a range of up to 150 kilometres only, The Times said.

Blair, under growing pressure over allegations his office exaggerated intelligence reports to make Saddam Hussein's regime appear more menacing, has hinted that further evidence of Baghdad's secret programme has begun to emerge but has yet to be made public.

However, Whitehall sources told The Times: "What we need to find is firm evidence of a chemical weapons programme, because much emphasis was placed on the chemical threat. We need to discover why Saddam did not use chemical weapons against coalition forces."

A powerful parliamentary committee decided late Tuesday to probe Blair's decision to go to war in Iraq, amid claims the government had embellished intelligence on weapons of mass destruction to justify the conflict.

The left-wing Daily Mirror tabloid reported Wednesday that troops hunting for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction had searched 87 "prime sites" in Iraq, but found nothing.

The paper, which opposed the US-led war, said that a 100-strong team of British military specialists would join a new American-led hunt for weapons evidence involving 1,400 personnel belonging to the Iraqi Survey Group after the apparent failure of the current search.

[fightinJAG]

However, Whitehall sources told The Times: "What we need to find is firm evidence of a chemical weapons programme, because much emphasis was placed on the chemical threat. We need to discover why Saddam did not use chemical weapons against coalition forces."

Whatever is found, the Rats will have an "however" rejoinder.

Missiles are one delivery system for WMD. A WMD threat is even more ominous when those weapons can be shot out at people in neighboring countries.

[alnick]

Al Samoud was a moot point as the Iraqi's had already stated that if war was inevitable it would stop it's destruction programme.

It was only a moot point in that we already knew and Saddam had already admitted that he possessed them. But he admitted that long after the deadline had passed for him to disclose or face severe consequences. Also, he was using them to try to string us along, destroying a very small number at a time. So it was not a moot point as far as justification for the war goes.

[CholeraJoe]

So how will the lamestream media spin this?

The missles were designed purely for peaceful purposes such as launching communication sattelites to support the baby formula factories.

[activationproducts]

A missile is a tool that can deliver WMD's but is not one in and of itself.

If Saddam had been able to build his atomic bomb one of the plans to use it involved putting it on a boat and detonating it in the port of Haifa.

By your logic a boat would then become a weapon of mass destruction. Pretty silly logic if you ask me.

[VRWC_minion]

The left-wing Daily Mirror tabloid reported Wednesday that troops hunting for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction had searched 87 "prime sites" in Iraq, but found nothing.

Read between the lines here folks. These 87 Prime sites were known before the war. Lets for a moment assume the intelligence was correct. Now why would all 87 prime sites come up clean ? Logically, the Iraq's were tipped off. There was a leak in intelligence.

Assuming there was a massive leak in intelligence and assuming your goal is to account for as much as possible of the exisiting stuff and further assume you can never be sure if you have searched everywhere, what information would you release regarding your ongoing investigation ?

[VRWC_minion]

WMD= weapon + delivery system.

[finnman69]

bump

More evidence the Iraqis were lying their asses off. Let's keep looking.

[oyez]

Lots of burning questions out there.Our intel and military knew where everything else was. Why the Hell did they miss one small detail like WMD? If WMD's were distroyed, why didn;t Saddam offer proof and save himself of an invasion?

[The Wizard]

and am I the only person who realizes that "prime locations" WON'T yield anything?

[American in Israel]

The UN found missiles that had been made wider than were allowed. The Al Saud missile could be made into a long range weapon by mounting a second rocket motor side by side. But to do so the origonal tube would have to be made wider. The sanctions froze the size, Sadam made the Al Saud II just wide enough to double mount the russian rocket motors. He also had a test stand built to test fire two rocket motors side by side, a further breaking of the treaty.

[American in Israel]

Also he was destroying the ones that were legal, not the double wide ones. At the same time his factorys were turning out new double wide ones and the ones being destroyed were missing the motors. Some useless motors from another missile model were stuffed in the tube to make it look like he was destroying good systems. But in fact his show and tell for the UN was just scrapping systems that could not fly anyway.

It was all a big joke, that the UN played along with...

[ClancyJ]

Note the immediate alteration of the goal when the finding of the threat was mentioned? Now it is not a finding that Iraq was indeed posing a threat - now it is "chemical weapons" and "why did he not use them".

I think we run in circles trying to answer the derogatory comments of the left. Maybe we should just ignore their constant harping and stay busy doing what has to be done.

[activationproducts]

WMD=weapon

[justshutupandtakeit]

It took Clinton's White House years to find the Rose Law firm billing records when they were allegedly in the WH. We can look at least that long for WMDs before questions are legitimately raised about their existence.

[VRWC_minion]

No Delivery system = No Mass Destruction.

[mewzilla]

The right of centre newspaper???

Wasn't that nice of AP? Wonder how many left-wing papers the wire service IDs? And how often..?

[TheDon]

I read it took 7 years to capture all of the Japanese war criminals and establish a constitutional gov't in Japan after WWII. It certainly provides some perspective. I imagine we can do it a little faster now days though. Maybe 4 or 5 years? Time will tell.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for finding this and posting this. There is another new thread on Free Republic that ties right in with this thread.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/922957/posts?page=1

FAS (Fed Am Scientist) Report: Iraqi Precursor Chemicals Stored Separately for Weapon-side Mixing
FAS.org ^ | Federation of American Scientists


Posted on 06/04/2003 6:47 AM PDT by HatSteel