US troops refused requests to protect explosives store

[goodhue]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=577148

US troops refused requests to protect explosives store
By Kim Sengupta in Baghdad
29 October 2004


Al-Qaqa'a, the Iraqi military complex from which 350 tons of explosives disappeared, was looted after US troops left the area refusing requests to protect the site, Iraqi witnesses say.

They say unguarded buildings were stripped of their contents after the arrival and departure of American troops in the last few days of the war.

Yesterday an armed Islamic group claimed to have obtained a large quantity of the explosives and threatened to use them against coalition troops. The group, calling itself al-Islam's Army Brigades, al-Karar Brigade, said on a video that it had co-ordinated with officers and soldiers of "the American intelligence" to obtain a "huge amount of the explosives that were in the al-Qaqa'a facility".

The looted explosives have become a contentious issue in the US election campaign, adding weight to the accusations of John Kerry, that George Bush mishandled the war.

Iraqi people claim US forces were specifically asked to secure the complex but declined to do so, saying their orders were to proceed towards Baghdad. The looters are said to have removed everything from desks and computers to ammunition and artillery shells.

* * *

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=577148

[OKNancy]

1. It just keeps coming

I wonder in the few days left if the media ( television in particular) will be able to piece all this together so the average voter can figure it out...or at least hear about it?

[maddezmom]

2. there's so much bad news for * coming, some of it has to sink in

the local and major papers, newscasts are going to have to do their job.

[maddezmom]

3. perhaps, they didn't refuse, but weren't given orders from the civilian

leadership.

[Laelth]

6. Sounds like the soldiers ...

refused requests from Iraqi civilians to guard the munitions. Wonder why. Could it be because the American civilian leaders (I use that word under protest) ordered them to guard the oil infrastructure instead?

Hmm ... could be! :wow:

-Laelth

[maddezmom]

7. yup....Rudy's already trying to push the blame on the soldiers

[Laelth]

10. Yeah, I heard that.

And Rudy's a bonehead. Both Edwards and Clark blasted him for that comment, and rightly so ... blaming the troops for the greed and incompetence of the administration.

How dare they!

-Laelth

[LiberalFighter]

17. How far up the chain of command did it go?

Who gave the ultimate order to refuse protection?

[TacticalPeek]

15. There it is: chain of command, civilian control of the military.

Mohammed Hamid Abdullah, from Yusufiah, 30 miles south of Baghdad, where al-Qaqa'a is located, said: "I know the Americans were told what was in the factories, and they must protect it. But they said they had to go on to Baghdad. We all saw people go in there afterwards and take everything they could. It went on for days."


Mohammed from Yusufiah ain't in the chain of command. The Supremes selected another guy to prance around as dress-up commander.


There is strong suspicion that the explosives have been used in the car bomb attacks in which hundreds of civilians as well as US and Iraqi government forces have been killed.


Gen. Wesley Clark issued the following statement today: "For President Bush to send Rudolph Giuliani out on television to say that the actual responsibility for the failure to secure explosives lies with the troops is insulting and cowardly. The President approved the mission and the priorities. Civilian leaders tell military leaders what to do. The military follows those orders and gets the job done. This was a failure of civilian leadership, first in not telling the troops to secure explosives and other dangerous materials, and second for not providing sufficient troops and sufficient equipment for troops to do the job. President Bush sent our troops to war without sufficient body armor, without a sound plan and without sufficient forces to accomplish the mission. Our troops are performing a difficult mission with skill, bravery and determination. They deserve a commander in chief who supports them and understands that the buck stops in the Oval Office, not one who gets weak knees and shifts blame for his mistakes."



not one who gets weak knees and shifts blame for his mistakes

[LiberalFighter]

18. They were ordered to leave the explosives unprotected???

Thus exposing themselves to an attack from the rear? Whose brilliant military tactic was that?

[reprobate]

19. Don't count on it. There hasn't been a word about the biggest story.

I mean the story in the Independant this week about the court marshal that revealed that the Brit defense ministry was told the date of the iraq invasion five months before hand. Proves that this all was going to happen no matter what the UN decided.

I emailed a link along with the story to five different people at the Orlando Sentinel, from the Vice President on down. I've heard nothing back from them and they've printed not a word of the story.

Here's a story that proves absolutely that the entire world was scammed, and we went to war for reasons completely different from any of those stated. A story that absolutely proves that bush and the whole administration LIED to America, committing impeachable and treasonous offenses, but we hear not one word of it from the corrupt media.

I've reached the conclusion that the entire system is corrupt and doesn't deserve to even continue.

Edited to add:

If a Kerry administration does not bring charges against this bunch after his inauguration I will wash my hands of anything to do with America and find another place to live. It will show that the entire political system in this nation has been gamed and is as trustworthy as a crackhead in search of a rock.

[George_S]

4. al-Karar Brigade is the f**king enemy and cannot be believed

We should not give them any aid and comfort while our troops are still there.

[Barrett808]

21. I'd give as much credence to claims by the insurgency as claims by *

The Bush mob has lied so consistently, insurgency forces might be more credible.

[Roy]

25. Why not???

since we all watched the looting taking place all over Iraq on television, while the troops were there looking on.

They had to be following someone's order not to intervene

[bain_sidhe]

5. WFT?? "co-ordinated with ... "the American intelligence"??

I repeat, :wtf: ???

Yesterday an armed Islamic group claimed to have obtained a large quantity of the explosives and threatened to use them against coalition troops. The group, calling itself al-Islam's Army Brigades, al-Karar Brigade, said on a video that it had co-ordinated with officers and soldiers of "the American intelligence" to obtain a "huge amount of the explosives that were in the al-Qaqa'a facility".

Yesterday I made a joke about them not securing the explosives so that terrorists could continue their work of scaring the American people to death (or to bu**sh** - same thing). It was supposed to be a joke, dammit!

[TahitiNut]

8. The saddest thing of all is ....

... I find it all too credible and believable. This is the abysmal depth of corruption of this regime. It's not hyperbole.

[ilovenicepeople]

16. no joke indeed,bain_sidhe

I've noticed that the madministration has consistently allowed things to go wrong,they must pray for things to get worse.When they say,"things are going well in Iraq" I have a sick feeling in my gut that the downward spiraling kaos is exactly what they mean by going well.:scared:

[BattyDem]

9. Oh please tell me they're not going to pin this sh*t on the troops!

It's going to be another Abu Ghraib ...

As I said in another thread, soldiers don't do what they want ... they do what they are told. If they were told to guard the explosives, they would have done so. Obviously, their CO gave them different orders. :mad:

[TahitiNut]

11. This was a command level decision. The 'troops' can't be blamed.

There's no way "a few rotten apples" could've controlled the order of battle. This major unit was under the command of general officers, not some lowly sergeant or lieutenant. This is a major FUBAR that begins at the command level and rolls upwards.

[BattyDem]

12. You know that and I know that ...

but we both know that the spin machine will try to convince people of something very different. :grr: The media better not let them get away with it this time - they better make sure that people understand who was calling the shots!

[barb162]

20. if they are told to go to Baghdad, then that is what they do. They

were totally undermanned anyway, by order of Rummy.

[riverwalker]

13. We need to see the orders

that came from above, to proceed to Baghdad, instead of securing the facility. Those orders came from the top. The orders exist, they just need to be....leaked. If chimpy continues to try to blame this on the troops, I think the orders will be appear real soon.

[VegasWolf]

14. I guess they were too busy covering their asses since awol

undermanned them!!

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[Nordic]

22. man, this is as bad as Ashlee Simpson blaming everybody but herself

Bush blames the Russians, the French, the Iraqis, and now our own troops.

Pretty soon he'll be saying space aliens stole the shit.

[JSJ]

23. troops comply when orders are to kill women and children...

...but not when they're asked to protect a munitions depot?!

[goodhue]

24. kick

[Gyre]

26. It's HIGH explosives GODDAMN IT!

I'm sick of the media refering to to the 380 tons as "explosives". They are, it's true, but it's a serious understatement. Get with it people! HIGH EXPLOSIVES!!!!

Ok, I'm a little tense these days. :freak:

Gyre

[Az_lefty]

27. Civilians asked them to protect the site....

the soldiers had orders to proceed to Baghdad. This shows that we did not have enough troops on the ground during this invasion to secure the areas we captured and the Pentagon/WH had no plans of securing this site anyway. So, who are we suppose to blame for this fuck-up? Who else, but King George.
:spank: