Iraqi chemical weapons buildup reported (Sept 2001 Report)

rferl.org (Radio Free Iraq) ^

[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)

[goodnesswins]

Join the AXIS OF FREEDOM Rally on TUESDAY –

it’s a CAR/HOUSE/YARD sign Rally

DAY of SUPPORT…Tues, 1/28/03....FLY your flags (U.S., British, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Spanish, Quatar, Kuwaiti, Australian and Japanese one, too if you have them)....and put up your BUSH/CHENEY signs, (and the BIG W's on your SUV's) for the STATE of the UNION next Tuesday, Jan 28th, if you support the President, our MILITARY and the United States of America. PSST....pass it on.

GET THE MEDIA’S ATTENTION!!!

	UK	JAPAN
AUSTRALIA	BULGARIA
ROMANIA	ISRAEL	POLAND
SPAIN	CZECH
KUWAIT	HUNGARY	QATAR

[chance33_98]

Ping

[chance33_98]

Where is Saudi Arabia's flag....BWAHAHAHAHA

[goodnesswins]

I have "standards."

[chance33_98]

The kuwati flag - looks like they still use commodore 64's for graphics design :)

[Amelia]

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.

If the Sunday Telegraph knows this, why don't the U.N. weapons inspectors?

There is also evidence that Saddam's most sophisticated Chinese-built radar tracking systems are back to strength.

Germany, France, now China...who else was it who said we shouldn't bother poor little Iraq? Russia maybe?

Tomorrow I think I'll find a Russia article.

I'm going to be terribly disappointed if this isn't mentioned either in the U.N. report on Monday, or the SOTU address on Tuesday.

[chance33_98]

The radio free iraq archives you will find quite a few Russian references there. As well as at Arabicnews.com (you can search the archives), menareport, and a few Russian business sites whose bookmarks I have to dredge up (including the home page for the oil company doing business with saddam).

[chance33_98]

A few sample issues you can view:

AUGUST 2001 31 August 2001 Vol. 4, No. 27 IRAQ SAID TRAINING AGENTS FOR 'TERRORIST' OPERATIONS IN KUWAIT.

24 August 2001 Vol. 4, No. 26 SADDAM CONTINUES TO SEEK ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

17 August 2001 Vol. 4, No. 25 EXPLOSIONS ROCK IRAQI MILITARY INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS.

6 August 2001 Vol. 4, No. 24 SCIRI SAYS RUSSIA, CHINA HELPING IRAQ REARM

[Danette]

proof positive.

[chance33_98]

Another snippet (August 2001):

BAGHDAD SEEKS 10 MISSING BIOENGINEERS. "Iraq Press" on 19 August reported that Iraqi security services have intensified their hunt for 10 engineers who had been involved in the production of biological weapons at the Military Industrialization Corporation (MIC) but who have been missing for three months. Some in Baghdad, the service said, believe that the 10 have fled the country. The MIC remains important. It is believed to be producing artillery, munitions, and possibly armored vehicles. Prior to the Gulf War, MIC was believed to supply 60 percent of the hardware for Iraq's military, and 80 percent of the hardware for the ground forces. (David Nissman)

[chance33_98]

Damn shame we have to do the reporting for the lazy/biased press.

[Lady In Blue]

Excellent find! I appreciate,not only the contents of the thread,but also the source,which I have to admit,I'm not familiar with.I'm going to definitely check it out. Thanks.

[Lady In Blue]

ping

[Mo1]

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.

But But I thought the UN said Saddam destoryed them ..

France and Germany even said so .. they would never lie to us ... /sarcasm>

[Mo1]

I'm going to be terribly disappointed if this isn't mentioned either in the U.N. report on Monday, or the SOTU address on Tuesday.

If it isn't ... then that tells us exactly were the UN stands

[goodnesswins]

Hey...what's wrong with Commodore 64? (That was my FIRST computer!)

[chance33_98]

My first was a trs-80 w/cassette drive. Then a ti-99a, model 4 trash 80, then some 8088 system. Now I have a big honking sun server - and I still like to play text based games on it ;)

[chance33_98]

Ping

[FBD]

This is telling:

"The sources maintain that Saddam's pressures on Aziz increased after the arrest of Ziyad, Aziz's son, on charges of receiving commissions (bribes) for contracts concluded with foreign companies.

Saddam has also appointed four officials as his deputies in the cabinet in addition to Tariq Aziz is apparently a reduction in Aziz's power and influence. He had been responsible for Iraq's programs for deepening relations with pro-Baghdad Arab and foreign parliamentarians, as well as supervising Iraqi media branches from his position as Saddam's deputy in the Ba'th Party's "Pan-Arab Culture and Information Bureau."

The arrest of his son and his month-long detention in Al-Ridwaniyah prison have only increased the pressures on Aziz. "Al-Hayat's" sources say that Saddam and his sons Uday and Qusay were behind the decision to arrest Ziyad."


Time for your son's acid bath, Tariq...and maybe you too.
It sounds to me like things are coming apart at the seams, for Saddam. If his son Uday is in charge of Tariq Aziz getting bumped down, he has some real hell ahead for him.

CNN LOVED Tariq Aziz. they will be gnashing their collective teeth about this.