Posted on 01/25/2003 9:37:51 PM PST by chance33_98
Iraq Report
7 September 2001, Volume 4, Number 28
IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUILDUP REPORTED.
The "Sunday Telegraph" of 2 September reported that at least 20 specially trained Iraqi soldiers are dead and up to 200 have been hospitalized after taking part in a chemical weapon exercise that went wrong. News of the accident emerged last week amid concerns that Saddam Husseyn has rebuilt his chemical weapons arsenal.
Intelligence sources reported that the soldiers were based in the Za'farniya region south of Baghdad. A diplomat said that they were training in the Al-Suwayra and Basmaya camps three months ago. After the accident, new soldiers were brought in.
In the past three months, eight military factories have been working at almost full strength. The "Sunday Telegraph" says that the most significant of them in the unpopulated Syrian border area of Al-Qayem is said to be building chemical weapons and missiles. According to a Western military observer, "the Al-Qayem base has only recently expanded It just passed under the control of Saddam's son and heir Qusay."
There is also evidence that Saddam's most sophisticated Chinese-built radar tracking systems are back to strength. (David Nissman)
***FOX NEWS.com (AP): "FBI SEARCHES FOR IRAQI SPIES, TERROR CELLS IN U.S." (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON - The FBI is questioning as many as 50,000 Iraqis living in the United States in a search for potential terrorist cells, spies or people who might provide information helpful to a U.S. war effort.") (012403)
***INSIGHT On The News online: "'GRAY LADY' RUNS AD FOR TERRORISTS" by Kenneth R. Timmerman (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The New York Times has published a full-page advertisement for an Iraqi-based terrorist group that boasts of the support the group has received from 150 members of Congress. The group, the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran, also known as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), claims to have thousands of armed members based in military camps in Iraq, financed and equipped by Saddam Hussein.) (January 24, 2003)
FREE CONGRESS.org - THE FREE CONGRESS FOUNDATION - Notable News: "ONE WHO DARES CALL IT 'TREASON'" -Commentary by Paul M. Weyrich (COMMENTARY SNIPPET: "So how does Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) justify holding a reception for the Mujahedin-e Kalq? The U.S. State Department, since 1994, has listed this group as one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world. The State Department says that this Marxist-Muslim group has killed many Americans and had blown up a number of U.S. facilities in Iran. This group participated in the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. This group had a falling out with the Ayatollah Khomeni, according to The Washington Times, so the group fled to Iraq and now is funded by Saddam Hussein. The group helped Hussein fight the Kurds in the North of Iraq when chemical weapons were used.") (112502)
***BBC NEWS: "NEW IRAQ DOCUMENT FIND ALARMS UN" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The head of the United Nations atomic agency has voiced concern about documents apparently relating to nuclear technology which were found in an Iraqi scientist's home. The documents, numbering 3,000 pages, appear to focus on laser enrichment - a way to modify uranium for use in nuclear weapons - and were taken from the home of physicist Faleh Hassan on Thursday.") (011803)
stepping back in time..."IRAQ REPORT, SEPTEMBER 7, 2001, VOLUME 9, NUMBER 28: ARTICLE SNIPPET: "IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUILDUP REPORTED. The "Sunday Telegraph" of 2 September reported that at least 20 specially trained Iraqi soldiers are dead and up to 200 have been hospitalized after taking part in a chemical weapon exercise that went wrong. News of the accident emerged last week amid concerns that Saddam Husseyn has rebuilt his chemical weapons arsenal. Intelligence sources reported that the soldiers were based in the Za'farniya region south of Baghdad. A diplomat said that they were training in the Al-Suwayra and Basmaya camps three months ago. After the accident, new soldiers were brought in. In the past three months, eight military factories have been working at almost full strength. The "Sunday Telegraph" says that the most significant of them in the unpopulated Syrian border area of Al-Qayem is said to be building chemical weapons and missiles. According to a Western military observer, "the Al-Qayem base has only recently expanded It just passed under the control of Saddam's son and heir Qusay." There is also evidence that Saddam's most sophisticated Chinese-built radar tracking systems are back to strength." (David Nissman)
***MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE: "EDITOR OF IRANIAN CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT DAILY ATTACKS PRESIDENT BUSH AND CALLS ON MUSLIM YOUTH TO LAUNCH MARTYRDOM OPERATIONS AGAINST THE U.S." (ARTICLE NOTE: The editor is identified as Hussain Shariatmadari.) (NOTE: "Martyrdom" is also known as "Shehada.") (012303)
***AFTENPOSTEN.no: "USA WANTS NORWAY TO WATCH KREKAR" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Mullah Krekar has been, and likely remains, the leader of Ansar al-Islam, a fringe Islamic group in Iranian Kurdistan accused of having connections to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network. The New York Times reported the connection last week after interviews with Ansa al-Islam members, and after finding documents in Afghanistan mentioning direct links to al-Qaeda.") (January 17, 2003)
THIS IS LONDON.com: "FOUR HELD OVER POSSIBLE TERROR LINK" (ARTICLE NOTE: The four Algerian men had $16,000 in U.S. Dollars.) (012503)
I wonder if we have them!
I just got finished watching Fox News Sunday and Bill Kristol made a good point about why Bush isn't going to spend a lot of time talking about Iraq in his SOTU address. He said, and this makes perfect sense to me, that Tony Blair is coming for talks with Bush and Bush doesn't want it to look like that firm decisions have been made before he talks with Tony Blair. He said that Tony Blair has done absolutely everything that we could expect from an ally, and Bush is helping Blair out by holding down his Iraq talk in the SOTU, so that it won't look like this meeting between Blair and Bush is just Bush giving Blair his marching orders, so to speak.
Don't hold back,blackie - just tell us what you think!
Be nice!
I just finished upgrading to a C-64 from a Vic 20.
Good point. We have some allies in Europe (UK, Spain, possibly Italy, and a couple of Eastern European countries - Russia could have been one, but I'm afraid it's not) and I think it's important to give them credit and make it clear that we are in this together.
Still, I hope Bush says something about the Iraq situation. That's what's holding the economy down right now: the uncertainty.
I had forgot about the Vic 20's! Wonder if they have any on ebay...
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