Posted on 10/29/2004 11:15:39 PM PDT by CyberCowboy777
Two U.S. aid workers, including one from Oregon, said they reported the looting of an Iraqi weapons depot to U.S. military officials in October, 2003, but were told that there were not enough troops to seal off the facility.
"We were outraged," said Wes Hare, city manager of La Grande, who was working in Iraq as part of a rebuilding program. A colleague, Jerry Kuhaida, also told KGW it appeared that the explosives at the Ukhaider Ammunition Storage Area had found their way to insurgents targeting U.S. forces.
"There's no question in my mind that the stuff in Ukhaider was used by terrorists," Kuhaida said from his home in Tennessee.
The men said they informed Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, but were told that the United States lacked the troops to guard the facility, which had more than 60 bunkers packed with munitions.
The issue of whether U.S. forces did enough to keep Iraqi munitions from insurgents has become an issue in the presidential campaign. Reports this week indicated that about 380 tons of highly powerful explosives had disappeared from a weapons depot in Al-Qaqaa after the arrival of U.S. forces.
Al Qaqaa is about 50 miles northeast of the Ukhaider site, which was used to store artillery shells and small-arms ammunition.
A Pentagon official told The Oregonian newspaper that the United States had been forced to leave many ammunition dumps in Iraq unguarded. The official, who declined to be identified, said the U.S. military had identified about 900 sensitive weapons sites in Iraq but had assigned only "a brigade-sized force" to deal with them. A brigade typically has about 3,500 soldiers.
The official said he could not speak to how Sanchez had handled the report about Ukhaider.
(Excerpt) Read more at kgw.com ...
Isn't it convenient that this fits Kerry's talking points like a pair of comfortable shoes?
Sure, and I believe these people over soldiers in the 101st, a major, the pentagon, and reporters that were embedded with the unit that said nothing was left.
Did you search "piling on the sKerry bandwagon", LOL
Next thing you know the "human shields" will be on nightline telling how Bush just didn't have a good "plan to win the peace". Just what the hell does that mean anyway?
Yeah. Especially when the "munitions" are just bullets and other ammo, not explosives that can be used to detonate a nuke. Obfuscating the issue.
Oregon Ping
You know the democrats are desperate when they refuse to let go of a story that basically bashes our men in uniform. Not smart during a time of war. So glad liberals have their fingers on the pulse of the nation!
But remember, didn't John Kerry say "It's the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time"? Wouldn't Sadaam have these weapons, if we hadn't invaded? Why can't we praise the troops for destroying 400,000 tons of weapons? No, Kerry wants to focus on the .001% that didn't get destroyed.
Kerry reminds me of someone who loves to get people in trouble to make himself look better than others. Kind of like a fellow-employee who's gets you in trouble with the boss just to look good.
Let's put it this way. You are in a major military operation where you are trying to overthrow a tyrant you are not going to waste time on stationing people around munitions bunkers until you have those people available to be there. If I remember right there were 10,000 munition sites. If you stationed 10 people at each site you would have used up 100,000 troops. I hate it when non-military types are trying to tell the military how to run their business. Go back to whatever you do in Oregon and leave military decisions up to the military.
Now ''aid workers'' are military logistical experts advising General Sanchez.
It must be true since some guy from Oregon says its so.
And just what group were these witnesses working for? The biggest liars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been the employees of various NGO's..
>"If I remember right there were 10,000 munition sites. If you stationed 10 people at each site you would have used up 100,000 troops. I hate it when non-military types are trying to tell the military how to run their business."<
Good post.
The Oregonian is a liberal rag anyway.
I'm sure they handpicked a couple of Kerry Democrats for those statements.
Good Lord, what is this? Ted Macks Original Amatuer Night and everybody wants to make noises like they know something unique?
Let's see now. Aside from the French female reporter who spent two hours at the Qaqaa site, now we have Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer at yet another site altogether. This gets better and better. Pity Heda Hopper isn't still around to get a piece of the action.
I hope you don't think this is my story? I am just posting what I saw on the news and web-site.
You make a great point... You should email that to KGW.
newstips-8@kgw.com
comments8@kgw.com
unit-8@kgw.com
Sorry ... not buying it
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