March 2003 Top Secret Memo: TRANSFER OF SPECIAL AMMUNITION (POTENTIAL CHEMICAL WEAPONS) Translation

Pentagon/FMSO Iraq Pre-War Documents ^ | April 17 2007 | jveritas

[SittinYonder]

Thanks. I think the larger rounds described clearly indicate chemical weapons. I do see why the Powerline readers are questioning the smaller rounds, but I don't know for sure that they couldn't be used to deliver chemicals.


As to why they're focusing on the smaller rounds ... they're probably looking for anything that might discredit the documents, playing devil's advocate. Don't take it personally.

[Coop]

Interesting the Powerline readers say the munitions are too small to deliver WMD.

We've already covered this. They're wrong. The top three categories were referenced as special ammo, and all three have historically been used to deliver Iraqi WMD. The latter two were not categorized as special ammo, and they're air defense shells. Hence the memo discussing lower priority delivery to air defense units.

[Coop]

Tell Hugh and the Powerline folks to read this thread, and their questions will be answered.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

All I am seeing is E-mail Contact, at the top right, click on Contact us.....

Now on the Captain's Quarters Blog....we have a reference to your work again:

Moving The 'Special Ammunition' To Baghdad
April 17, 2006

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Joseph Shahda has dedicated himself to the arduous task of reviewing the documents captured in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom and left untranslated by the US military. Joseph has posted these translations at Free Republic and his translations have been confirmed as accurate by independent translators abroad. Today, Joseph posted a translation of military orders commanding the transfer of "special ammunition" from Najaf to Baghdad in the week before the American invasion of Iraq:

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As Joseph explained, the designation "special" usually meant prohibited materiel -- the chemical and biological weapons that Saddam insisted the Iraqis did not possess. This shows that not only did Saddam believe these weapons to be in his possession, but also that his subordinates also believed it. This conflicts with the oft-argued notion that Saddam's underlings only told him what he wanted to hear, afraid to tell him that the weapons were nothing more than vaporware. In the midst of preparing the Iraqi Army to fight the Americans they knew would be coming, General Sultan tasked valuable resources to move munitions of some "special" type closer to the capital, where the Iraqis expected to make their stand against the invading forces.

The timing should alert people to the nature of the revelation. This isn't a document from 2002 or 2001, when George Bush had not yet committed to action in Iraq. The author of this memo didn't copy Saddam Hussein or his inner circle to extend some elaborate illusion. Instead, this order came from the Army chief of staff to the Western Command -- the opposite direction one would assume if it would serve as a deception to Iraqi leadership -- and diverted badly-needed resources just days before the invasion that US and UN diplomacy had telegraphed.

What could be more important than manning defenses and establishing attack zones? And why would Iraq need to transfer conventional ammunition to Baghdad, where procurement assumably would be centered? Normally, one would expect a nation about to be invaded to send munitions to the outer defenses, not strip them to recall munitions away from the perimeter. This would be akin to the Germans removing the ammunition from the French coastline the week before D-Day in order to send it to Paris or Berlin.

These strange orders underscore the "special" nature of the ammunition in question. It also shows that the supposed deception of Saddam Hussein doesn't account for all of the references to WMD in the Iraqi record. These orders specifically names depots where the materiel had been stored and the type of ordnance which it comprised.

We are getting a much better picture of prewar Iraqi involvement in WMD and terrorism from these documents, and all of it contradicts the conventional wisdom that the media has fed us since Baghdad fell. See Power Line for even more thoughts on this memo.

Posted by Captain Ed at April 17, 2006 05:55 PM

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Looks like he has a signup capability....sign up over there...........

[jveritas]

The 14.5 and 23 mm caliber shells were designated as second priority and it is very possible that they were just along the ride relocation. The first and important priority was given to the larger caliber shells, 122 mm, 130 mm, and 155 mm.

The Word "SPECIAL" in Iraq is not used loosely. In fact the Iraqi did a huge investigation of the AL Qadisya Air Force base after the UN found a file that has the word "Special on it". The Al Qadisya air force base and all military bases were instructed not to show anything called "Special".

Special Ammunition is not any other ammunition, what is special about 155 mm shells if it does not contain Chemical Weapons. The Iraqi used the term "Special Ammunition" exclusively to designate "Chemical Weapons".

Most of this 262 pages document is about spreading different types of ammunitions, and only this 9 pages top secret memo use the term "Special Ammunition". As I said before this term is not loosely used by the Iraqis it is a very specific term to designate "Chemical Weapons Ammunition".

[RayRobisonblog]

I disagree that the "special munitions" tag was for both groups of ammo. The memo divides them into priority, the highest priority are all chemical capable, the second priority are not. There is nothing that could be special about this artillery other than chemical, and I am a former artillary officer and have good experience with this subject.

[jveritas]

I will not take it personally :) I think the document criticism will make us think more to enforce our argument with facts.

[Coop]

Oh, I see your question. To that I could only speculate that the two types were both stored in the same area, and this memo combined shipments. But it's a good question. I really doubt air defense munitions carried WMD.

[SittinYonder]

We've already covered this.

Thanks for clearing it up. Obviously I haven't read all of the thread, either.

[SittinYonder]

I disagree that the "special munitions" tag was for both groups of ammo.

I went back and looked at the memo again, and quite clearly you are right, the "special munitions" went with the larger rounds.

Somehow I've overlooked the initial discussion on this thread about this subject and only noticed it when Ernest pinged me to Powerline.

All the same, this thread is getting enough attention that it doesn't hurt to rehash it. ;-)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

You need to sign up at the CQ and blast this AHOLE:

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>Comments

Hehe,

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Artillery shells loaded with chemical weapons are hardly "weapons of mass destruction."

Specially not ones that we sold to Saddam.

Posted by: monkyboy at April 17, 2006 06:41 PM

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[Mr. Buzzcut]

Specially not ones that we sold to Saddam.

Talk about hoary cliches.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

On second thought,....it's a misuse of your talent to be concerned with the A*Hole.....

[mjaneangels@aolcom]

"Just trying to come up with some background and corroborating information. You don't need to prove anything to me and many others, but let's face it. To a lotta folks who don't speak Arabic you're just some guy on a conservative forum. :-) So the more of your translations we can tie to known info, the better."

Good thinking Coop.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

They are jumping on him already....he's a known attitude issue....

[freema]

bookmark

[jveritas]

I read some of this idiot comment before. He is just another insanely delusional hateful liberal.

[popdonnelly]

Stop taking the deranged Left seriously and maybe they'll go away.

[RayRobisonblog]

I agree, we need to sort this stuff out first, thanks

[Coop]

Yeah, I see I was running a bit behind on the answers as well. :-)