Report: U.S suspects Iraqi WMD in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley

Drudge via World Tribune ^ | Monday, August 25, 2003

[RoughDobermann]

U.S. intelligence suspects Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have finally been located.

Unfortunately, getting to them will be nearly impossible for the United States and its allies, because the containers with the strategic materials are not in Iraq.

Instead they are located in Lebanon's heavily-fortified Bekaa Valley, swarming with Iranian and Syrian forces, and Hizbullah and ex-Iraqi agents, Geostrategy-Direct.com will report in tomorrow's new weekly edition.

U.S. intelligence first identified a stream of tractor-trailer trucks moving from Iraq to Syria to Lebaon in January 2003. The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time.

U.S. intelligence sources believe the area contains extended-range Scud-based missiles and parts for chemical and biological warheads.

Mutually-lucrative Iraqi-Syrian arms transactions are nothing new. Firas Tlas, son of Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas, has been the key to Syria's rogue alliance with Iraq. He and Assad made hundreds of millions of dollars selling weapons, oil and drugs to and from Iraq, according to the May 13, 2003 edition of Geostrategy-Direct.com.

The CIA now believes a multi-million dollar deal between Iraq and Syria provided for the hiding and safekeeping of Saddam's strategic weapons.

Not surprisingly, U.S. inquiries in Beirut and Syria are being met with little substantive response, U.S. officials said.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Where has the healthy natural skepticism of the state gone for many who post here?

Most of us recognized that it was unhealthy and kinda sociopathic to thrive on doom. But don't let us stop you - you're a source of considerable amusement.

[Ethyl]

Worse, Hezbollah will choose to use them in the next suicide belts they manufacture destined for Jerusalem

Or destined for Iraq, with all the alquida weenies returning, they will have access to it to fight our troops.
Be ready guys.

[Burkeman1]

There were some Iraqi cargo ships that were sailing about before the war- and there were a few stories on that (Rush mentioned it a few times on his show)- I never heard any followup on that however.

[Burkeman1]

Yes- Chancellor- thanks for your usual substantive reply. I will reply in kind- Shouldn't you be going over your shoe polish supplies for the GOP Senate cloak room now?

[arete]

So WTF did they do with it?

Maybe they're still on those mystery ships or maybe aliens came down and got them. Yeah, that's the ticket. Aliens got them and we're hot on their trail.

Richard W.

[arete]

Where has the healthy natural skepticism of the state gone for many who post here?

They've all become pod people.

Richard W.

[Ethyl]

Why because I refuse to believe the administration without factual evidence? Because I don't believe Hussein was ever a direct and immediate threat to the safety of these United States? Iraq wasn't a threat. The 'ally' that supplied 15 of the 19 terrorists and still to this day supports terrorism worldwide, now that's a different story

I guess that you don't understand, that both wars in Afganistan and Iraq are one in the same war on terrorism! They are all involved, recently prooven with the islamofasts alquida entering Iraq, this is the final war with all of them, it is going to heat up fast, and they have access to saddam's WMDs, it could get dicey. We have to strike first and deliver the WMDs inoperable. Yea, sure the arabs are involved, all of them! They hate what we are doing in Afganistan and Iraq, we are promoting freedom, the islamofasts can't stand that and are going for their stupid little jihad stuff. We will win over the people to freedom and the stupid little jihadies will be toast with their WMDs.

[Burkeman1]

One stat that really troubles me is that Clinton had more press conferences at the same point in his administration than Bush has had. And Clinton- up until Bush- was the worst about appearing before the press!

[Burkeman1]

Tell that to the Algerians and the Pakistannis- we were silent or even supportive when both countries suffered coups by their militaries when it appeared Islamic parties were going to win free elections. I hardly think most Arabs think we are for "freedom" after those actions.

[thatdewd]

U.S. intelligence first identified a stream of tractor-trailer trucks moving from Iraq to Syria to Lebaon in January 2003. The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time.

LOL. They understood exactly what was going on. The Israelis said it was happening when it was happening and this is not "new" news. We LET them move the WMD out of Iraq because it made the future war zone safer for our troops, who WOULD be going there even if the WMD didn't exist. Truth be told, the invasion and occupation of Iraq was not and is not about WMD or cease-fire violations, or any of the other things that have been publicly discussed. It's about upsetting the geo-political makeup of the Middle East. It's the same as setting up a police precinct in the middle of a crime-ridden neighborhood. WMD were just the excuse to legitimize our actions in doing so. Iraq is our new police precint, and the Middle East is the bad neighborhood. We knew they were moving the WMD, and were happy they did it. If there had never been any WMD, something else would have been used to justify the invasion.

[Ethyl]

In addition to not finding any WMDs, they fail to explain why the WMDs weren't launched within 45 minutes as Blair had claimed they could be, and why Iraq didn't use them on us in all the years that they were supposed to have had them.

saddam insane is a wiley fox, he has flumoxed the whole war effort by not using them and hiding them, so as to make GW and TB look like fools, but GW and TB are no fools and will show the world soon.

[randita]

John Loftus (WABC, Batchelor & Alexander show) has been claiming this ever since the war started and his source was not DEBKA.

Loftus has said also that the Pentagon has been exploring options on incinerating the hidden WMD. They can't just bomb the suspected locations because the chemicals would be released into the air and not be fully destroyed. Loftus said the Pentagon has studied including using nuclear bombs to complete incinerate them, so they will pose not threat (bunker buster followed by a nuke). It would be worth the price of admission to see how the liberals would respond if a nuclear weapon were used.

This information has been dessiminated on the public airwaves of WABC. Much of what Loftus has said has come to pass. BTW, he still claims SH dies on March 19.

[Terp]

I'm wondering how realiable of a source World Tribune.com is? Everytime I see an article by these folks, invariable there's no byline to the story. Who wrote this article in other words. Instead of bylines by a reporter, World Trubunes.com's articles almost always have what they call a "SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM". I would love to believe that their a reliable source. I would feel more comfortable if I knew who actually penned the article. When I read anything from them, I get the feeling that their only a small step up the ladder from Debka.

[arete]

When GW does appear, the press questions and answers are scripted ahead of time. Pretty scary stuff when you can't answer simple questions about the reasons for going to war like, "Where the heck is all that evidence that you were so dead bang sure of?" a few months ago. Instead we get laughable reports of mystery ships, maytag parts in backyards, and now, moving van convoys.

Richard W.

[RobbyS]

Turn the IDF loose.

[Matchett-PI]

"U.S. intelligence first identified a stream of tractor-trailer trucks moving from Iraq to Syria to Lebaon in January 2003. The significance of this sighting did not register on the CIA at the time." "Yeah, sure it didn't..."

Since when? You may find interesting this email I wrote to Bill O'Reilly about a month ago:

To: oreilly@foxnews.com
Date and time: 10:38 PM 7/30/03 -0400
Subject: Playing dumb, are you?

Greetings Mr. O'Reilly,

If you're not just playing dumb, and really don't know where the WMD are, may I suggest that you get Kenneth R. Timmerman (of Insight Mag.) as a guest on your show --- SOON!

This is the second night in a row I watched you parroting the Democrat mantra, demanding that Bush tell us where the WMD are.

You appear to be out of the loop. That's not good that someone in your position is so much in the dark about what's going on.

I've provided you some succinct excerpts and links to what Mr. Timmerman wrote when he accompanied Powell to Syria on May 3, 2003. This will get you up to speed. I'll look forward to seeing Mr. Timmerman on your show.

Warm regards,
[Name and Town]

Item #1:

INSIGHT mag - Sending a Serious Message to Syria
Posted May 28, 2003 By Kenneth R. Timmerman
http://www.insightmag.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/437029.html

"The May 3 meeting in the presidential palace on the hilltop overlooking Damascus was short and to the point.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, flanked by State Department Arabists, told Syrian dictator Bashar Assad that the U.S. victory in Iraq had changed the way America plans to do business in the Middle East.

The days of the cozy deals and of winking and nodding at Syrian support for terrorism were ended. He then presented Assad with a list of U.S. demands that was nothing short of breathtaking.

Powell told the Syrian president that the United States requires him to help in the search for hidden Iraqi weapons.

The United States believes the weapons were taken in convoys of tanker trucks to Syria last fall, along with key production equipment, and buried in the Syrian desert shortly before U.N. arms inspectors returned to Iraq.

Powell demanded that Syria locate and turn over Iraqi weapons scientists and top-ranking Ba'ath Party officials who had been granted sanctuary by Syria once Gulf War II began. ... [End of excerpt. Click on link above to read the whole article]

Item #2:

Not-So-Secret Iraqi-Syrian Deals - Posted May 28, 2003
By Kenneth R. Timmerman
http://www.insightmag.com/main.cfm?include=detail&storyid=437030

Middle East analysts will tell you that Syria and Iraq long have been enemies, citing their leaders' rival visions of Ba'ath Party dictatorship. And they were right until Hafez Assad died in June 2000. Almost as soon as son Bashar took power, things began to change.

In November 2000, the younger Assad agreed to reopen a 500-mile oil pipeline, which soon began hauling an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 barrels per day from the Kirkuk oil fields of Iraq to Syria's Mediterranean export terminal at Banias. For Assad and Saddam Hussein, it was a gold mine. The pipeline deal gave Saddam an estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion per year on the black market, with hefty transit fees going to Assad in the bargain.

Just two months later, on Jan. 31, 2001, the two countries agreed to double their $500 million-per-year trade, and triple it by 2002.

Gary C. Gambill, writing in the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, reported that Assad had dispatched his younger brother, Maher Assad, to Baghdad on a secret two-day visit shortly before the trade agreement was inked to discuss military cooperation with Qusay Hussein.

Following that visit, agreements were drafted to hide Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in Syria should U.N. inspections resume, and later, when the coalition attack became imminent, to provide sanctuary to fleeing Iraqi leaders.

According to published reports, Syria also served as a conduit for weapons and spare parts that Iraq purchased on the black market in Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and France, in defiance with the U.N. embargo.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned in an interview with Israeli television on Dec. 24, 2002, that Iraq already had trucked the bulk of its weapons stockpiles to Syria earlier in the autumn, before the arrival of the U.N. inspectors.

After intense U.S. pressure, Bashar Assad has handed over several key Iraqi weapons scientists and intelligence officers, including Farouk Hijazi, believed to be the key link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. But hundreds of other Iraqis are reported to have escaped through Syria.

For now, Assad appears to be wedded to his lies. When asked by Lally Weymouth of Newsweek about the escaping Iraqis, Assad insisted that once the war began no one was allowed to come. "We allowed families to come to Syria, women and children," Assad said. "But we were suspicious of some of the relatives - that they had positions in the past and were responsible for killings in Syria in the eighties."

Kenneth R. Timmerman is a senior writer for Insight.
====

More:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/920692/posts?page=6#6
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/921005/posts?page=39#39
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/921194/posts?page=49#49

[Matchett-PI]

"I find that hard to believe.I think we knew early on they were moving this stuff out." ~ finnman69

Yes we did. See my post here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/970152/posts?page=196#196

[Matchett-PI]

"Instead we get laughable reports of mystery ships, maytag parts in backyards, and now, moving van convoys"

We have always known where the WMD are

[lasereye]

LOL!! I guess the rhetoric for Project Bomb Syria wasn't going over very well lately. What to do, what to do? I know, they've got WMDs!!! Personally I figured they were going to be in Iran next...

I'll ask you a second time. What's the real motive for wanting to bomb Syria? Do you have an answer? Since Syria has no oil that can't be it. Maybe you're just keeping it to yourself. Privileged information etc.

[Burkeman1]

Why don't you pass your "inside info" onto the White House? They would love to see it! Oh- maybe because it is so much bogus crud that the White House or Bush would never put their names to it on paper?