Iraqi Scientist: Illicit Arms Kept Till Eve of War

A scientist who claims to have worked in Iraq's chemical weapons program for more than a decade has told an American military team that Iraq destroyed chemical weapons and biological warfare equipment only days before the war began.

The scientist led Americans to a supply of material that proved to be the building blocks of illegal weapons, which he claimed to have buried as evidence of Iraq's illicit weapons programs.

The scientist also told American weapons experts that Iraq had secretly sent unconventional weapons and technology to Syria, starting in the mid-1990's, and that more recently Iraq was cooperating with Al Qaeda, the military officials said.

An American military team hunting for unconventional weapons in Iraq, the Mobile Exploitation Team Alpha, or MET Alpha, which found the scientist, declined to identify him, saying they feared he might be subject to reprisals. But they said that they considered him credible and that the material unearthed over the last three days at sites to which he led them had proved to be precursors for a toxic agent that is banned by chemical weapons treaties.

The officials' account of the scientist's assertions and the discovery of the buried material, which they described as the most important discovery to date in the hunt for illegal weapons, supports the Bush administration's charges that Iraq continued to develop those weapons and lied to the United Nations about it. Finding and destroying illegal weapons was a major justification for the war.

The officials' accounts also provided an explanation for why United States forces had not yet turned up banned weapons in Iraq. The failure to find such weapons has become a political issue in Washington.

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This must be a joke !!

Where is the f**cking "hard evidence" President Bush promised us to show ? Did he loose it somewhere home and didnt tidy up his room yet or what ???

[Edited on 21-4-2003 by Mokuhadzushi]

Well, considering that you refuse to include anything previously given as evedence, maybe you should outline to the US, UN just what criteria your looking for and if they can't find it for you, they should bring back Hussien and maybe in a few years or so, he could mail you a personal care package of what you're looking for.

All of this heresay isn't helping...actual, and substantialized finds need to start happening, or we've stepped into an even bigger pile of crap....

I doubt that just a scientist would be aware of cooperation with Al-Queda, etc...that would likely be more closely guarded. Sounds to me more like he's out for some good old US reward money....and he's spinning a yarn....

There are WMD there....we just need to find them. It will take time. However, when these yahoos pop up, it doesn't help the situation....

It's pure politics getting in the way again!

What they need to do is get back there and go over everything with a nitcomb and find what they need!

Politics are getting in the way...oh, whats new?

I think that scientist could be right. Saddam knew his days were numbered, knew he wouldn't have a chance, etc, etc. However, he could have used WMD's (to which France even said they would then get involved) not to mention giving more legitimacy to the war, US gets more support and answering the WMD question.

OR not use them at all then get rid of them so we'd never find them leaving the world wondering forever if they had them. It would be very much in Saddam's favor to destroy them.

Mokuhadzushi clearly you are expressing hostility do you have some concrete reason for that?

Say you pull up to your house one day and the police have your neighbors house surrounded. You walk up to them and ask what is going on? They tell you that the chemicals and equipment needed to make chemical weapons were found inside the house. What would be your reaction? As a result of this do you then feel that is not enough evidence to arrest him and convict him for a crime?

This is hard evidence and in fact I am surprised you are reacting the way you are. Mostly because of what is clearly obvious, testimonies are flowing out of Iraq like water. These testimonies point to atrocities and there is no better word.

What was the UN, France and Germany doing when clearly these atrocities were going on?

Remember the recent election in Iraq in which Saddam Hussein was voted in by the entire population for another term in office??

Despite the fact it is today obvious that 24,000,000+ people lived under a clear threat of death, had they not done whatever Saddam Hussein told them to do. Your upset about the US have so far found the chemicals and equipment needed to make WMD.

Mokuhadzushi the US has found more than just proof of WMD. Its found clear indications that in this world there are those who are prepared to support atrocities against others to further there own sadistic needs.

Saddam was not stupid. He knew that the U.S. would finish his Little Army off within a month. He hid those weapons. We have to find them thats all. It's only a matter of time.

No-no, Bob, I think these people may be right!
Until a piece of chemical weaponry is brought to each and every one of our houses so that we may contaminate a loved one and see them die, we should believe nothing!
Moku goes first!

Can these people remember, it was Saddam's task to prove he destroyed the stuff, not ours to prove he had it? Brilliant people, already they can't get the facts straight.

You guys also need to understand that there'll never be a day when you can actually see exactly all the good that has been done. You can't show how San Diego did not suffer 15,000 casualties from CBR weapons that were kept from coming here. Of course, to some that means as little as the peoples' lives that have been bettered by their liberation from Hussein.

Oh Thomas, just because we're a bit suspicious that no WMD's have been found so far doesn't mean we're totally stupid. I'd be perfectly happy with a UN inspection team examining a site filled with weaponised VX artillery shells, and stating that these were present before the war etc.

As regards the original post. Chemical weapons programs, a link with Al-Qaida, AND links with Syria, all from one informant? Hmm... [sarcasm] I don't smell anything suspicious there. [/sarcasm]

I guess this is a good indicator of how the UK/US government are going to handle this. Suddenly finding the "precursor" chemicals will be tantamount to proof of chemical weapons, and a cow dying of some strange disease will be proof of biological weapons. And then our governments will just say "the WMD's were destroyed days before the invasion" and all the warniks will just nod and feel satisfied...

Toltec - what were the US/UK doing when the chemical weapons atrocities were occuring? They were continuing to arm and help Saddam, that's what they were doing.

Ok ... Let's think about this for a second.

Bush tell's the UN we're going to war becuase he has PROOF of WMD's.

What exactly does PROOF mean to President Bush? In this case, it look's like PROOF mean's a pretty good feeling without any actual evidence.

Let's look at the Iraqi source's we've used in the past ... We've killed Saddam how many time's now? Oh ... And despite all the good source's we've had, we're still not sure Saddam is really dead.

We're going into Syria because we THINK a couple of key people fled there? Not becuase we KNOW mind you ... but because Bush has a good felling that they're there ...

Now we have an Iraqi saying this and that about chem weapon's, yet we're not revealing nothing, just as we wouldn't reveal to the UN our supposed proof we had that sanctioned this war.

How many time's have we cried wolf in regard's of WMD's during this war ... only to find out it was something else? ALOT.

To me, if you have PROOF, you know where it is, what it is, and how much there is. A good feeling isn't proof. Also ... If we have proof, why the hell are we LOOKING for proof?

Can anyone else say DUH? I'm no genius ... yet even I can see what Bush is doing.