BIG!! Minneapolis News station has video of explosives at Al QaQaa

[Oreo]

Our own Channel 5 is about to make Worldwide news.
http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S3723.html?cat=1

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew in Iraq shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein was in the area where tons of explosives disappeared.

The missing explosives are now an issue in the presidential debate. Democratic candidate John Kerry is accusing President Bush of not securing the site they allegedly disappeared from. President Bush says no one knows if the ammunition was taken before or after the fall of Baghdad on April 9, 2003 when coalition troops moved in to the area.

Using GPS technology and talking with members of the 101st Airborne 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS determined our crew embedded with them may have been on the southern edge of the Al Qaqaa installation, where that ammunition disappeared. Our crew was based just south of Al Qaqaa. On April 18, 2003 they drove two or three miles north into what is believed to be that area.

During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew bunker after bunker of material labelled explosives. Usually it took just the snap of a bolt cutter to get in and see the material identified by the 101st as detonation cords.
"We can stick it in those and make some good bombs." a soldier told our crew.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. It may or may not be the explosives in question

"5 EYEWITNESS NEWS e-mailed pictures of the material we found to experts in Washington Wednesday to see if it is the same kind of high explosives that went missing in Al Qaqaa. They could not make that determination.

The footage is now in the hands of security experts to see if it is indeed the explosives in question."

[goodboy]

56. No major news outlet has picked this up yet...why do you think that is?

[jean]

2. Channel 5 has 6 pix plus video! Wow - this is excellent, and can anyone

say 'timely?' "5 EYEWITNESS NEWS video may be linked to missing explosives in Iraq" -Oreo's got the link!

one of 6 pix from the article

[Peachhead22]

19. Why is it in English?

Wouldn't you would figure lettering on a box of Iraqi explosives in an Iraqi military base would be in Arabic, in Arabic lettering? It's in English with English lettering.

I'm trying to play Devil's advocate. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but something's fishy. Berware of a plant of "evidence" in the news. Remember the 60-Minutes/AWOL story. Could the Bushies "leak" an easily debunked photo to a friendly news channel so they can debunk it and bitch about the "liberal media" picking on them?

PS-I'm not doubting the original story. Their were explosives at Al Qaqaa that the Bushies let the insurgents get. I'm just wary of this particular report and these particular pictures.

[jean]

23. good question - weren't all these munitions secured by the IAEA?

Were they were packaged and labelled by the IAEA, not by the Iraqi military?

[Wat_Tyler]

24. English is often used in arabic states, particularly former British

colonies. Of course, the English script could be delivery information from the manufacturer.

[KayLaw]

26. English

If they were obtained from an English-speaking country, they would be in English.

[KansDem]

30. English is the "language of business..."

Many non-English speaking countries use English to communicate, especially if the two (or more) parties involved speak different languages.

For example, correct me if I'm wrong, but when a Turkish pilot lands a commercial aircraft in Japan, isn't English used between the plane and the air traffic controller?

[Ganja Ninja]

36. Exactly! The boxes are labeled so the shippers can read them.

Plus we don't know if this is the only writing on them. I'm sure the source and date of manufacture is also written on them somewhere.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

39. Probably because the inspectors who seccured them spoke english

[LatinManNH]

43. My first impression too

was to question the motives of this breaking story. The way it is written could be a set up against Kerry's criticism of Bush. It places a lot of emphasis on how this has become an issue in the presidential campaign, but doesn't necessarily emphasize how this puts into question Bush's priorities in Iraq. If all of the sudden, this video is "proven" to be a fake, like the CBS memos supposedly were, then the media can readily put heat on Kerry for making "wild accusations." It is a classic Rove move.

[NastyDiaper]

50. The same reason the road signs are also in English

The bombs are printed in English for the UN weapons inspectors :) The Texas oil for food contractors also needed the signs in English.

[dhinojosa]

59. Reagan sold it to Saddam....

That's why it's in English.

[JusticeForAll]

44. Check the FONT!!!!

That font on these crates wasn't available in 2003! These were made with an IBM Selectype Millenium+4 typewriter!

This is the makings of Rove!!

(I hope some humor is OK, if not, please delete this post.)

Given that this material was monitored by the IAEA, English very well could have been used to assist in foreign audit processes.

[DS1]

69. Millenium+4, brilliant!

:7

[fishwax]

3. Way to go Channel 5

I hope this can settle the issue ...

[wishlist]

4. Explosive story backing up Kerry's "wild charges"

This needs to get wide exposure. I don't really see that it matters that much exactly what type of explosives these were, just the fact that there were thousands of containers left open and unguarded where Iraqis could drive around freely looting after our troops were on the ground there but apparently unconcerned about securing them.

[russiamommy]

5. Looks pretty damning to me.

[maddezmom]

6. backs up the NYT article

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=937943&mesg_id=937943

[DrBB]

7. It's really a non-issue

The real issue, which is beyond dispute, is that this was a PRIME site related to WMD, well established as such long before the invasion, that should have been HIGH on the list of things to be secured the moment it was taken. Which is what would have happened IF the people in charge were a) actually interested in the WMD question as anything besides a way to hype support for an invasion they wanted to do anyway; and/or b) COMPETENT.

It doesn't matter when the explosives disappeared. What matters is that the only reason we don't absolutely know beyond any question is because either a) The people in charge really didn't give a shit about WMDs but were only pretending to; or b) were utterly, thoroughly incompetent at their jobs.

The fact that the GOP is able to raise any doubts at all about this is actually proof of their arrant fuckuppery.

[lakeguy]

25. i agree...

the fact that there ARE NO ABSOLUTE FACTS in this whole mess is an utter disgrace. the admin should have been able to say, without doubt, that they checked the site to make sure it was clean and secure.

[CAcyclist]

70. Absolutely

If I were invading a country, the first thing I would do would be to secure all weapons caches, nuclear facilities and utilities. How many needless deaths occurred because we didn't do that?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. I am looking at the pictures with my own eyes and still I don't

Believe what I am seeing. Do you think that is how Bush is feeling right now?

The fact that they were with the 101st Airborne Division who were supposed to have not seen any explosives is, well, explosive! What I don't get is why the current President bothered to lie. Did no one think that the reporters embedded with this Division would take footage of explosives, when that was (alleged) the reason we were there in the first place?

[mikehiggins]

13. Why lie? Why ask?

THese people would rather lie than tell the truth, probably just to keep in practice.

Of course they thought the reporters would keep their stinkin yaps shut. Every other goddamn media source has passed on their lies without even a gag reflex. Why should a film crew from a right wing tv station be a problem?

The irony should not be lost, or undervalued. A lot of "real" conservatives (people we would think are only "wrong" in their politics, not dogshit crazy) would like to see W gone and forgotten, and as soon as possible. That may be behind the sudden exposure of this actual evidence that BushCo is lying through their lying teeth.

[trotsky]

9. The irony of this!!

KSTP-5 is owned by right-wing Hubbard Broadcasting! Their own crew just sealed Chimpy's doom!

[russiamommy]

12. I wonder why this hasn't been picke up yet...

by other outlets. It was first broadcast last night. Any thoughts?

[goodboy]

53. Good question...Where is this in the mainstream press??? NT

[JCMach1]

10. This is big... with less than a week to go...

Bush negligence at work once again...

[booksenkatz]

11. Gee, looks like they shoulda bombed Minn. after all?

Sarcasm, of course. It's just an interesting coinkydink, after all of the talk this week of the imminent destruction of the Twin Cities. 'N stuff.
:shrug:

[Lorien]

14. BUSTED!

Now it's up to us, you and I, to write to the media TODAY to let them know that we are OUTRAGED at how poorly planned this invasion was, and how this blunder has endangered (and probably taken) the lives of our troops and many innocent civilians!

Let's hold them accountable, everyone!

[cthrumatrix]

68. while the media goes "silent"

[krkaufman]

15. Ummm.... So not only did we not secure and guard the explosives...

... but we actually cut the locks and seals on the bunkers in which they were stored -- and then left?

Wow, this line from the article hits the nail...

Once the doors to the bunkers were opened, they weren't secured. They were left open when the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew and the military went back to their base.

[dhinojosa]

61. U.S. Bravado

We thought the Iraqi's would be submissive and quiet. Remember it was April 2003.

[sniffa]

16. i nominated it for home page

and aLready started posting this eLsewhere.

[nolabels]

66. It's there

:kick:

[andino]

17. Tag for later use

[Mandate My Ass]

18. I sent this to the Phila Daily News

They are sending it to Josh Marshall!

[myrna minx]

20. What is sad is that these explosives are killing our kids. n/t

:cry:

[w4rma]

21. Monumental failure. These explosives are being used to blow up American

soldiers all throughout Iraq by the insurgents and *will* be used in terrorist bombings all throughout the world.



This failure is Bush's and Rumsfeld's and the neocon fanatics who follow them blindly. They had no plan whatsoever to secure this facility (NOR to secure other smaller facilities like this one, elsewhere in Iraq).

Rumsfeld (source):
"Stuff happens! But in terms of what's going on in that country, it is a fundamental misunderstanding to see those images over, and over, and over again of some boy walking out with a vase and say, "Oh, my goodness, you didn't have a plan." That's nonsense. They know what they're doing, and they're doing a terrific job. And it's untidy, and freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things."

[andino]

22. We should send this story to every news office in the US!!!!

eom

[TexasLady]

27. im sending the link and snippets

to as many places in texas as i can. hope others do the same.

[mac56]

28. The irony here is that Channel 5 is owned by the Hubbard family.

All big Repubs, if memory serves.

[Beetwasher]

29. EVERYONE SAVE THIS STUFF TO YOUR HARD DRIVES!!!

AND BLAST IT TO EVERY MEDIA OUTLET! GO TO WORK DU DOING WHAT WE DO BEST!! THIS IS LITERALLY DA BOMB!

[cubsfan forever]

58. ROFL Great pic!

I have a Yellow Lab; she wouldn't be able to do that. Thanks!

Professor 2

[JawJaw]

31. A-Haaaa

So this would explain why Fox is now rather sheepishly reporting "uncertainty" over the exact time period of removal

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136897,00.html


check out the last bit

High explosives, such as HMX and RDX, do not explode when exposed to flame, rather burn at a high temperature, which makes them useful for cooking.

!!

So don't worry folks, the terrorists just wanna throw a BBQ or something!

[JPZenger]

34. We Have to Wait Until the Facts are Out ... on Wednesday

These explosives were something that should have been on the priority list for the U.S. - their location, size and type were all well-documented by the UN Inspections Team. Instead, the military was told it was a higher priority to rush to Baghdad and take over the Oil Ministry. The U.S. then spent a full year and hundreds of millions of dollars searching for non-existent WMDs to cover Bush's backside - while ignoring the explosives that were killing our troops.

These explosives could not have been moved in a couple days by insurgents with a pickup truck.

Reportedly, they are the same type of explosives that were used to kill U.S. sailors on the USS Cole.

[Nihil]

35. "BBQ? What's on the menu Kkkarl?"

. Grilled civilians
. Merc Flambee
. Bangers & M*A*S*H
. Pot-boiled Poodle
. Spam

Hopefully to be followed (mid-week) by

. Humble Pie

[saigon68]

41. You can use a sugar cubed size piece of C-4

To cook a can of the old C-rats.

Just set on fire with a cigarette lighter

[MADem]

77. Ugh, those were such crap

The new stuff is way, way better!

[tbetz]

32. Direct link to the video!

Here's a direct link to the video for those who prefer not to use Internet Explorer.

http://kstp.dayport.com/viewer/content/pecial.php?Art_ID=159660&Format_ID=2&BitRate_ID=8&Contract_ID=712&Obj_ID=3

[peacetalksforall]

33. I keep remembering a rumor posted on DU that Rumsfeld and friends

were determined to get into Iraq for among other things, to 'take care of' some weapons that involved their US-Iraqi war against Iran in which the handshake represented a lot of cooperation between the US and Iraq. (If not just a rumor, there may have even been links to columns or articles.)

It is very possible the English 'labels' are on the boxes because they are from an English or non-Arabic source - an international source using a common communication language.

As an aside - can someone straighten me out - was the 101 or 103 the first to see this?

[JerseygirlCT]

37. The KSTP report says 101nt

[The Zug]

38. Why are there still no . . .

. . . reports in the national media about this?

Oh, wait. I know the answer.

[orangeotter]

40. I think this could be big-could be if we push

We have to put this in all the blogs, all the corporate sites are talking about the bushies getting traction with their response, this would be the proof we need. Let get this done people!

[goodboy]

57. I agree with you 100% Kerry's here in Columbus today, I called HQ

and gave them this information. Hopefully, they'll be able to do something with it.

[orangeotter]

42. kick

we need to get this story out there send it to every major news source and blog you know and to friends with instructions to do the same, this issue could be the one that swings the election. Kerry wont really be able to talk about it anymore but the news can.

[JusticeForAll]

45. Let's first make it OUR biggest news

Nominate this topic for home page

[Tesibria]

46. It's catching on

It hit Washington Dispatch 30 minutes ago ..
http://www.washingtondispatch.com/spectrum/archives/000690.html

[Beetwasher]

47. JOSH MARSHALL IS ON IT!!!!

WWW.talkingpointsmemo.com

[JusticeForAll]

51. Looks like he is nailing Fox, too!

Good another nail in their credibility. I can't wait to hear asshole Pat Buchanan's spin on this tonight. They can run, but they cannot hide, to coin a phrase.

[Tesibria]

55. i'm sure I'm only one of thousands

... but i'm in luv with that guy... indeed it was luv at first read

[goodhue]

48. wow

[JusticeForAll]

49. These explosives were there, could have been secured, BUT are now GONE.

<snip>
The video, shot by embedded reporters on April 18th, nine days after the fall of Baghdad, showed massive quantities of various explosives.
<end>

It irritates me to no end that our stupid government was so brazen and immensely stupid to go into Iraq proclaiming their prime directive was to find biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction, yet they FAILED to give our military orders to secure these weapons of GREAT destruction!!


April 18, 2003
talk it up. Let this date be the final nail in this Administration's coffin.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

54. Weapons of Great Destruction, I like that

The reality of the troops securing the explosive is that the push was on to take Baghdad and overthrow Saddam Hussein. There was no time nor troops to spare for such trivial things. It was all about ousting Saddam so we could be welcomed by the happy Iraqi people and secure their oil.

[MADem]

76. AND NOTE THE ADDRESS ON THE BOX

AL Qaaqaa State Establishment.... hard to lie and claim the pic was taken elsewhere......

[goodboy]

52. not on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS...WHY???

[dhinojosa]

62. Big Networks are timid, after the CBS debacle

That is only a guess.

[Emboldened Chimp]

64. Networks wouldn't carry it until the evening news, so we'll see what...

happens tonight. Cable News routinely shills for *, so no surprise there...

[AntiFascist]

65. Surely the Peterson trial must be more important....

than our nation's security. That's all that CNN seems to be covering at the moment!

[JusticeForAll]

67. CNN is also covering

The stupid couple that is split between its vote for Kerry and a vote for *.

Cute, but not news, dammit.

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[AntiFascist]

60. Bush is in deep QaQaa now! nt

[dhinojosa]

63. hahaha, brilliant

[skip fox]

71. KSTP is an ABC affiliate with a story of NATIONAL importance, and

they know it. The first program was intelligent and cautious. Damned good reporting. (I hope other stations look in their files for footage from their imbedded reporters around the same time and place, or with similar instances.)

I cannot imagine ABC not leading with this tonight.

[BlueScreen]

72. Copy of my email to CNN

You know the drill-- feel free to copy, edit, etc if you like. It's important we get this on the news tonight before this story cools down! I have sent mine to all of the CNN addresses on the National Media List.


Subject: Big update to the Iraqi explosives story - pictures included

A few hours ago, Channel 5 in Minneapolis broadcast an important update to the explosives story that is available at:

As a loyal CNN viewer, I urge you to carry this story in today's coverage. Here's what happened.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew in Iraq shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein was in the area where tons of explosives disappeared.

Using GPS technology and talking with members of the 101st Airborne 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS determined our crew embedded with them may have been on the southern edge of the Al Qaqaa installation, where that ammunition disappeared. Our crew was based just south of Al Qaqaa. On April 18, 2003 they drove two or three miles north into what is believed to be that area.

During that trip, members of the 101st Airborne Division showed the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew bunker after bunker of material labelled explosives. Usually it took just the snap of a bolt cutter to get in and see the material identified by the 101st as detonation cords.
"We can stick it in those and make some good bombs." a soldier told our crew.

I have attached some of the pictures taken by EYEWITNESS NEWS. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the Bush administration made a huge mistake in not securing this facility, despite having been told of it in advance by the International Atomic Energy Agency.


Full story available at: http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S3723.html?cat=1

[AIJ Alom]

73. I've also sent 3 emails to CNN. No response yet. We need to keep it up!

[JusticeForAll]

78. Thanks BlueScreen! I added a special introduction for Lou Dobbs!

Lou:

I know you are showing the grainy, Martian-like aerial pictures and reporting the already debunked, far-fetched "Russia stole the weapons" story. I am not sure, though, why CNN is not giving any credence to the ABC story that has clear photographic evidence (full color, not grainy) of seals and containers from the Al QaQaa site on April 18, 2003. This evidence is also backed up with GPS data pinpointing the embedded reporter's location in Iraq.

[skip fox]

74. kick

this needs to remain front and center

[DrWho]

75. faux news reported this back then

Peabody said troops found thousands of 2-inch by 5-inch boxes, each containing three vials of white powder, together with documents written in Arabic that dealt with how to engage in chemical warfare.

The facility had been identified by the International Atomic Energy Agency as a suspected chemical, biological and nuclear weapons site. U.N. inspectors visited the plant at least a dozen times, including as recently as Feb. 18.

The facility is part of a larger complex known as the Latifiyah Explosives and Ammunition Plant al Qa Qaa..

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83170,00.html

[Carolab]

79. KSTP story on NETWORK

Was shown on ABC Network news just now

[proud2BlibKansan]

80. I saw it on CBS too

[Rhiannon12866]

81. Great post Oreo! This IS big!

This story is all over the place, now. Thanks for the link and welcome to DU! It's great to have you with us!:toast: