4 Iraqis Tell of Looting at Munitions Site in '03

[CatWoman]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 27 - Looters stormed the weapons site at Al Qaqaa in the days after American troops swept through the area in early April 2003 on their way to Baghdad, gutting office buildings, carrying off munitions and even dismantling heavy machinery, three Iraqi witnesses and a regional security chief said Wednesday.

The Iraqis described an orgy of theft so extensive that enterprising residents rented their trucks to looters. But some looting was clearly indiscriminate, with people grabbing anything they could find and later heaving unwanted items off the trucks.

Two witnesses were employees of Al Qaqaa - one a chemical engineer and the other a mechanic - and the third was a former employee, a chemist, who had come back to retrieve his records, determined to keep them out of American hands. The mechanic, Ahmed Saleh Mezher, said employees asked the Americans to protect the site but were told this was not the soldiers' responsibility.

The accounts do not directly address the question of when 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives vanished from the site sometime after early March, the last time international inspectors checked the seals on the bunkers where the material was stored. It is possible that Iraqi forces removed some explosives before the invasion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/international/middleeast/28bomb.html?oref=login&oref=login

[LostInAnomie]

1. All I can say is...

... why do those Iraqis hate freedom... and love stealing explosives?

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. The ship of state is sinking fast.

When is chimp planning to start his investigation? Will it be a blue ribbon panel? will it be non partisan? will he select the members? will he be executed by firing squad or by hanging?

[ButterflyBlood]

3. Does this rebuke Sludge's Russia story?

n/t

[hexola]

15. Why would you want to rebuke it...?

Bush got fooled...

[meganmonkey]

4. evidnece that it was looted AFTER the invasion..

Good job protecting us from weapons, bushco!

[Demfromct]

5. I dont know why Freepers are giddy?

WHERE ARE THE EXPLOSIVES?

That is the question of the hour!

If they are in Syria, like Drudge said, and carted off from the Russians, this is a horrible occurence. Why are the Russians taking weapons to Syria? How could Bush let that happen? Oh my God, are you kididng me?

How does Bush let an aggresive play from the Kremlin go by unnoticed. Too busy with Iraq to see the re-emergence of the Russians! This is totally Bush's fault.

And that doesn't absolve the administration from anything. Nothing was moved from that site before the invasion so says people who were there (Kos has the news link). There is confirmation of this. There was a fight on Oct. 3 at the facility and after the iraquis were defeated, they serched and found explosives, the white powder. They never kept on searching or did an inventory. THEY NEVER SECRUED THE PLACE.

Then, the 101st comes in and just ignores it so they can race to Baghdad. Incredibly, a ton of munitions were left un-guarded and looters and probbably insurgents got their hand on bombs and ammo. That is indisputable.

[Kimber Scott]

6. No! But, the Russians took them! Or, was it the martians. I'm so

spunned, I can't think straight.

[liberalmuse]

7. I think they're giddy...

because they get to hate the Russians again, like the good 'ol days. Jeebus.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

8. NAILED

Buffoon caught in another lie

[jefferson_dem]

9. Didn't Dummy-Rummy say something about looting just being part of a free

society? What a Dumbass!

[RebelYell]

10. Iraq: Operation Enduring F*k Up n/t

[jefferson_dem]

11. Nice to see the old gray lady coming back with a backhand to the

head of the punk ass propaganda muckrakers.

[CatWoman]

12. kick

:kick:

[Fluffdaddy]

13. Forget the GOP's spin....Read the facts

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[msgeri55]

14. vets against war

new web site http://www.ivaw.net/ iraq vets against war

[Quixote1818]

16. KICK

:kick: :kick:

[Nordic]

17. they were all Clinton's men! Demand an investigation!

obviously Clinton is responsible for this.