04/05/03 - U.S. troops find explosives at al Qa Qaa

[DoYouEverWonder]

U.S. troops find signs of chemical readiness at al Qa Qaa

April 05, 2003

<snip>

Closer to Baghdad, troops at Iraq's largest military industrial complex found nerve agent antidotes, documents describing chemical warfare and a white powder that appeared to be used for explosives.

UN weapons inspectors went repeatedly to the vast al Qa Qaa complex, most recently on March 8. But they found nothing during spot visits to some of the 1,100 buildings at the site 40 kilometres south of Baghdad.

Col. John Peabody, engineer brigade commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said troops found thousands of five-centimetre by 12-centimetre boxes, each containing three vials of white powder, together with documents written in Arabic that dealt with how to engage in chemical warfare.

A senior U.S. official familiar with initial testing said the powder was believed to be explosives. The finding would be consistent with the plant's stated production capabilities in the field of basic raw materials for explosives and propellants.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030405-chem-readiness01.htm


So on 04/05/03 the US was claiming that they found all kinds of stuff at al Qa Qaa including explosives and that it proved Saddam had revived his chemical weapons programs. Now a 1.5 years later, when it comes out that we did nothing to safeguard these stockpiles, Drudge & Co are claiming that when we got there of 04/10/04 there was nothing there? Give me a break.

[are_we_united_yet]

1. Whoaa!

Nice find! These guys are (L-word)-ing there asses off.

[TomClash]

2. Kudos to Lynnethedem who found this first n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Really, got a link?

I hate that when that happens.

[TomClash]

4. No sweat

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1172650&mesg_id=1172650&page=

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Not a dupe

Same topic but this thread is about the actual report that was published by the AP on 04/05/03. I see nothing in the thread that you are referencing that links to this report?

[Nordic]

6. kick

[Eloriel]

7. And another

:kick:

(Damn those unavailable archives)