Posted on 04/23/2007 11:00:26 AM PDT by jveritas
“It was clear that there is another branch committee from the Industrial Committee headed by Dr. Mahdi Shakr Ghali that currently evaluates the Researches That Cannot Be Declared, Researches with relation to the previous Prohibited Programs... This is an important subject and it is dangerous in case this information is leaked one way or another.”. That was a quote General Housam Ahmad Amin, one of Saddam regime top officials on September/16/1998 talking about secret programs related to WMD according to Iraqi document CMPC-2003-002284.
Below is part I of my findings and analysis based on the captured Iraqi documents that I read. This part deals with Saddam regime programs related to Chemical Weapons. The documents that I read regarding this issue were written by high ranking officials in Saddam regime in particular “Iraq Military Industrialization Committee (MIC)” as well as top officials in Saddam Presidential circles. Based on the content, format, style, signatures, and seals, there is no doubt that these documents are authentic.
After December 1998 when the UN weapons inspector had been kicked out of Iraq, there is no doubt that Saddam regime began actively working on WMD programs and in particular producing the chemical materials called “Chemical Weapons Precursors” required to build their arsenal of “Chemical Weapons”. Once the “Chemical Precursors” are available, then Saddam regime can build the final product of “Chemical Weapons” in a very short period of time and when it is required to do so. It was better for Saddam to build the “Chemical Weapons Precursors” and hide them rather than build the “Final Chemical Weapon Products” and hide them. That is because the “Chemical Precursors” fall under the category of “Dual Use Material”, i.e. materials that can be used in both the civilian industry and to make “Chemical Weapons”. Therefore Saddam regime can always camouflage their “Chemical Weapons program” under the cover of civilian industrial usage. Moreover it was better to store the “Chemical Precursors” since it has a much longer shelf life than the final “Chemical Weapon Product”.
Based on many Iraqi documents that I have read; it is my opinion that Saddam regime produced the “Chemical Weapons Precursors” for the “Chemical Weapons” under the cover of a project the Iraqis called “The Pharmaceutical and Pesticides Project” that effectively started somewhere in the year 1999. The Iraqis always gave industrial names as a deceptive mean to cover their WMD projects. For example their previous Nuclear Weapons Program prior to the 1991 Gulf War was called “Petrochemical 3 Project”. The Iraqis were very careful in camouflaging their WMD programs and productions even prior to the 1991 Gulf War. They rarely used the expression “Chemical Weapons” and even when they were using Chemical Weapons against the Iranians and the Kurds in the 1980’s and they called it “Special Ammunition”.
There are many documents pertaining to “The Pharmaceutical and Pesticides Projects” and in these documents we find the plans, and the production projects for the “Chemical Precursors” to build “Chemical Weapons”. Under the United Nations sanctions, the Iraqi were totally prohibited to locally produce these “Chemical Precursors” but rather they may import it in very limited quantities and under strict UN importing regulations.
Under “The Pharmaceutical and Pesticides Projects” are the productions and research of materials like Potassium Cyanide and Sodium Cyanide which is used to make TABUN Nerve Gas. Also DICYLOHEXYLDIACARBODIIMIDE and Phosphorus Pentasulfide which are used to make VX Nerve Gas. Other materials in this project include Phosphorus oxychloride, Thiophosphoryl Chloride and Thionyl Chloride that are used to make different types of Chemical Weapons. These Chemical Weapons precursors are listed in Iraqi documents ISGQ-2003-00044424, CMPC-2003-013956, ISGQ-2005-00023243.
From 1998 to 2001 Saddam regime produced a lot of prohibited “Chemical Defensive Equipments” such as devices to “Detect Nerve Gas” and “Chemical Decontamination Vehicles” as per Iraqi documents CMPC-2003-016083 and ISGQ-2004-00220151. Though these equipments sound defensive in nature, the UN did not allow Saddam regime to produce it because they are also required when conducting a Chemical Weapon attack or transferring Chemical Weapons. Moreover a large number of documents talks in details about the extensive Chemical Warfare exercises that the Iraqi conducted for different branches of their military, these exercises increased in frequency and scale in the years 1999-2002 to the point of obsession. In addition according to the documents the Iraqis were always looking to purchase and store tens of thousands of Chemical protection gears and anti-Chemical Weapons medicine such Atropine injections.
Where are the “Chemical Weapons Precursors” located?
In my opinion Saddam regime buried the “Chemical Weapons Precursors” in the Western Desert, in particular in the Anbar province. I doubt very much that Saddam moved those materials outside Iraq to a different country for fear that this country can turn against him and bargain a deal on their expense with the US. I have read some Iraqis documents that give a strong hint about the possible locations where these “Chemical Weapons Precursors” can be buried and all these locations are in one particular district in the remote area of the Anbar province. According to the documents that were written in 1999-2003 Saddam regime was looking for location in the Western desert to bury what they call “Chemical Materials” and in some instances they call it “Chemical Waste Materials”. Saddam himself was directly involved in this issue according to the documents and he gave high priority orders for his top officials to come up with these burial sites. Some may say that these were only “chemical waste burial sites” however I find it is very odd that the Iraqis never thought about locations to bury their chemical waste until the year 1999! Why suddenly the Iraqis were so interested in finding burial sites for their chemical products and why Saddam himself was giving high priority orders for such a trivial matter if in fact the sites were only to bury Chemical Waste. The oddity of the issue leads to believe that these were no Chemical Waste burial sites but rather the burial sites of much more important materials such as “Chemical Weapons Precursors” and other equipments related to the production of “Chemical Weapons”.
Many of us remember the reporting about satellite pictures prior to the Iraq war that showed a convoy of suspect trucks that can be carrying Chemical Weapons moving toward the West and it was thought by many analysits that they were going to Syria. However in my opinion these trucks were going to the remote areas of the Anbar province in Western Iraq to bury the “Chemical Weapons Precursors” and the equipments required to make it.
The documents mention by name the few towns and one district in the Anbar province where Saddam regime wanted the Chemical materials burial sites. Because these towns are located in the Anbar province the heart of the terrorist insurgency in Iraq I will not mention these documents in a public forum for security concerns.
It is very important to understand the paranoid nature of Saddam regime and why it was extremely important for them to possess the ability to produce “Chemical Weapons” very quickly. It was the “Chemical Weapons” that saved Saddam regime during the Iraq-Iran war from 1980-1988. It was the “Chemical Weapons” that crushed the Kurds rebellion in 1987-1988 when Saddam savagely massacred tens of thousands of Kurdish civilians. Saddam regime was totally paranoid that Iran will attack them at anytime and the only way for them to resist and stop the Iranians who are superior in numbers is to use “Chemical Weapons” against them, therefore the Baghdad regime cannot afford not to have the capability of producing these weapons. They simply cannot be in “defensive mode” against a Chemical attack from Iran but they need to have the capability of attacking back and decisively with Chemical Weapons of their own.
That concludes part I of my findings and analysis about Saddam WMD. I will post in the next few days other threads that further discuss the WMD and Saddam strong relations to terrorism.
Please let me know if you find the story, I would like to read this article.
You could be right on. At least his dreams have been mostly shattered. The *rick could have done something usefull with his life. But alas. The world needs all kinds. Gotta get ready to hit the sack. Do have a great upcoming day.
Bump for later reading!
I do have the luxury of having a wife that is an editor but unfortunately for me she is a liberal There their they're is no hope for me
It’s possible that both things happened.
Some materials as well gold and currency (1 heavy truck with about $1 billion in gold and currency was intercepted early in the Iraqi Freedom on the way to Syria) may have been smuggled to Syria - possibly by Russian Spetsnaz, before moving most of it back to Russia - Syria is not the most reliable of safekeepers - some of it may have been stolen there or left as payment for “right of way” service as I remember that Jordan stopped a plot of chemical attack by some Syrians a couple of years ago - may have been from the same stock.
Some may have been moved to the region where Saddam thought he could get access to it later, since he was planning on continuing the “war”.
Some chemicals that can’t be easily deployed, presented a program disclosure problem and may have been dumped to Tigris and Euphrates - I remember some reports of heavy concentrations of cyanide and other WMD or “dual-use” (aren’t they all?) chemicals found there.
Bush has long stopped trying to justify WMD part (as it’s only being mocked and would be a distraction for him now) and moved on to the things he needs to do in WOT. Also, silence may serve several purposes :
1. Do not disclose that there are WMDs in the area, lest cause an incidental “treasure” hunt.
2. Those who were sitting on the fence here at home about WMDs (like Hillary) may feel safer to criticize it now and would be more open to being proven wrong later, possibly near election... BTW she was pretty cagey and shrewd about that and limited herself to the “conduct” of the war.
3. Possibly getting information and/or cooperation from interested sources on more important matters or not disclosing methods and operations for now demands silence.
4. Anything that isn’t provable, i.e. in your hands, with embedded reporters right there and then, would be dismissed by Dems and al-media, so why bother for now?
Hi Joseph -
I believe that some WMDs were moved to Syria during the time that Blair and President Bush spent all that time and months preparing to go speak to the UN.
I can’t recall where I read an article in those preceding months before the war - (I believe it was) something about our troops seeing some movements of large trucks moving somethings toward the Syryian border by Saddams’s army in late summer or early fall -
Before - we actually went to war in the spring.
Do you recall reading anything like that either in the news or in your translations?
L
Thanks for the report!
Bump for later.
Iraq used the Chemical Precursors as part of their Binary Chemical Weapons System. The chemicals were loaded into the shell or mortar separated from each other by a plastic film. When launched the mechanism ruptured the film and mixed the chemicals on the way to the target. Sarin,Tabun,VX,etc were formed on the way to the target. The rifled barrel of the canon or mortar launcher spinned the projectile. An explosive charge dispensed the chemical mist over the intended target.
Oh yeah. Bring facts or conclusions based on in-depth study while translating said documents to the argument.
You can’t rule the world that way.
You must rule by fear, caused by ignorance, and manipulation of emotion.
Seriously, Thank you for your very long dedication to translating those documents from Saddam’s government.
The importance of what you helped reveal will be of major importance in the state of affairs, very soon.
Your work is very valuable to me and I am sure many others here on FR.
Thanks...gman
Google General Georges Sada - he’s the former Iraqi Air Force general who wrote the most credible book on this subject.
The drive by media has harped on brazen lie ' A number of people researching the subject, coupled with those having solid Israeli contracts, firmly believe Saddam bio-chem weapons were trucked (as in 18 wheel) all the way into Syria, three months prior to the war, shipped under cloud covered nights, with the 'weather related assistance' of the Russians, old Soviet pals of Saddam's Ba'ath party thugs.
Saddam, as in the case of Kuwait, never dreamed he would actually be defeated in his own backyard, then captured, tried and conflicted of war crimes. In his sick mindset the party would go on forever, therefore he believed the recovery of his 'WMD' would be easy, or even if a cash deal were warrented with Assad, no problem he could always utilize crude oil for any payments, directly through the Iraqi-Syrian pipeline, considering Saddam & Bashar Assad were already making millions by Saddam selling Iraqi crude to Bashar at 50% below the spot price (average $14-$16 cash on the barrel, reportedly in Euros), in turn Syria would label the Iraqi crude oil 'Syrian', receiving whatever the fluctuating daily spot price happened to be at the time, an average of $28-$32ish a barrel. This went on right under the U.N.s "oil for food" scam.
The question right now is the shelve life and if Assad bunch transpired a percentile to their Hezballah proxies (with Syrian supervision, as some say Russian too) for a planned 'attempted' future war against Israel. Which means DR. Assad can kiss himself goodbye, as well as the terrorist capitol of the world, Damascus.
If your in depth research & well thought out analysis is indeed correct, with a large portion, or all of the 'Chemical Weapons Precursors' were in fact hidden beneath the sands of the Western Desert, it stands to reason the Sunni, Saddam supporting Ba'athist terrorists have turned Anbar province into a hotbed of terrorism. It's rather difficult searching, digging for chemical weapons in that boiling, vast, barren sandy wasteland while Sunni killers are lurking behind every other house, plus planting roadside explosive devices attempting to murder as many of our soldiers as possible.
It it possible Saddam buried his chemical weapons inside non metallic containers which would not be detectable via metal detection devices which would explain in part why large hidden amounts of Saddam's weaponry have yet to be discovered?
The drive by media has harped on brazen lie ' A number of people researching the subject, coupled with those having solid Israeli contracts, firmly believe Saddam bio-chem weapons were trucked (as in 18 wheel) all the way into Syria, three months prior to the war, shipped under cloud covered nights, with the 'weather related assistance' of the Russians, old Soviet pals of Saddam's Ba'ath party thugs.
Saddam, as in the case of Kuwait, never dreamed he would actually be defeated in his own backyard, then captured, tried and conflicted of war crimes. In his sick mindset the party would go on forever, therefore he believed the recovery of his 'WMD' would be easy, or even if a cash deal were warrented with Assad, no problem he could always utilize crude oil for any payments, directly through the Iraqi-Syrian pipeline, considering Saddam & Bashar Assad were already making millions by Saddam selling Iraqi crude to Bashar at 50% below the spot price (average $14-$16 cash on the barrel, reportedly in Euros), in turn Syria would label the Iraqi crude oil 'Syrian', receiving whatever the fluctuating daily spot price happened to be at the time, an average of $28-$32ish a barrel. This went on right under the U.N.s "oil for food" scam.
The question right now is the shelve life and if Assad bunch transpired a percentile to their Hezballah proxies (with Syrian supervision, as some say Russian too) for a planned 'attempted' future war against Israel. Which means DR. Assad can kiss himself goodbye, as well as the terrorist capitol of the world, Damascus.
If your in depth research & well thought out analysis is indeed correct, with a large portion, or all of the 'Chemical Weapons Precursors' were in fact hidden beneath the sands of the Western Desert, it stands to reason the Sunni, Saddam supporting Ba'athist terrorists have turned Anbar province into a hotbed of terrorism. It's rather difficult searching, digging for chemical weapons in that boiling, vast, barren sandy wasteland while Sunni killers are lurking behind every other house, plus planting roadside explosive devices attempting to murder as many of our soldiers as possible.
It it possible Saddam buried his chemical weapons inside non metallic containers which would not be detectable via metal detection devices which would explain in part why large hidden amounts of Saddam's weaponry have yet to be discovered?
jveritas,
been waiting, and well worth the wait.
Mike
bump
Excellent post.
As you know the Iraqi documents website was shut down on November 2nd 2006. However I was able to download over 1700 documents before the shut down and I am reading through it.
In my opinion the Chemical Weapons Precursors were moved far West in the Anbar province very close to the Syrian borders. As you said in your post and that is true that trucks were seen moving “toward” the Syrian borders before the war started but it does not necessarily mean that they have entered Syria. I translated and posted one document here on FR which is a testimony by an Iraqi dissident who told the US troops about truck carrying very important items that entered Syria shortly before the war, but I did not see any official document from Saddam regime officials discussing moving stuff to Syria before the war.
Thank you :)
Glad you liked it Mike.
save
Ping for later.
“It it possible Saddam buried his chemical weapons inside non metallic containers which would not be detectable via metal detection devices which would explain in part why large hidden amounts of Saddam’s weaponry have yet to be discovered?”
Yes it’s possible. It’s also possible I will win the lottery this week.
I can see your point about not moving weapons except...didn’t he send most of his Air Force to Iran in the first Gulf War so it wouldn’t be destroyed by coalition forces? He had at that time just completed an 8 year war with Iran less than 2 years previous and yet was willing to take the risk of Iran “turning his weapons on him later”, yet he still did it. I think that some of his material probably went into Syria, as did some of his people. I have been out of the military for nearly 5 years, and was pretty low level when I was in, so I guess this is just an unproven hunch.
Iran did not give him back his airplanes after the Gulf war was over.
Thank you, Veritas.
Bump for later read.
Glad you liked it Mike.
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An understatement Sir.
Thank You
Bump
rebump to the best thread on the board
Pray for W and Our Troops
I know...my point was he had just finished a war with them, yet he still preferred to send the planes there rather than have them destroyed on the ground in Iraq. That tells me that if he thinks destruction is imminent, he would be more likely to send his material to a local “enemy” like Syria rather than risk it falling to the Americans, just like he did with sending his planes to Iran.
Plus, Syria has a chemical weapons program too. Has it changed since 2003, which would indicate that they recieved new material?
WoMD would make great call letters for a talk radio station.
BOOKMARK
bttt
Bump
Sorry it took so long for me to find the information:
The FR post number is 894006 - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/894006/posts
Unfortunately the article was on the Modesto Bee web site and could not be posted in its entirety. The link to modbee.com given in the FreeRepublic article has disappeared. I do, however, have a paper copy and here are the main parts of interest:
“Martin Schram: Uncovering buried secrets -
Scripps Howard News Service
Published: April 15, 2003, 01:19:00 PM PDT (SH) - U.S Intelligence officials hunting for Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction would do well to talk with one of their opposite number - a former Iraqi intelligence officer who became the involuntary guest of jailers in a Kurdish prison in northern Iraq. He says he can tell them where some of Saddam’s secrets are buried. Literally. Because he helped bury them.
“We transported them to numerous sites, for example, we would transport them from Salman Pak to Tikrit, a desert area, or outside Baghdad...to a desert area called the Al-‘Ayth Desert region,” the onetime Iraqi agent said in an interview contained in a new book, “Avoiding Armageddon,” published by Basic Books, which I wrote as a companion to the PBS series of the same name (on which I was managing editor) that aired this month.
“It is a deserted, uninhabited desert except for a few shepherds. ... It wasn’t a building. We would find prepared places, large holes already dug by shovels during the night. The shovels were ready there. There were cranes that would raise the weapons, put them into the holes and cover them up.”
The former Iraqi intelligence official was interviewed in 2002 for the project by television documentary producer Ginny Durrin, under the agreement that his name would not be made public.....”
Further in the article the Iraqi agent says, “...We transported them in containers, plastic containers. ... There were no markings on them. Their color was tawny or deeper. ... We transported them on those trailers that carry 45 tons.”
I do not know if the desert area given by Schram is the same that you conclude they used. It should be noted that the action documented by Schram took place some time before 2002 before the Kurds nabbed the unnamed Iraqi agent.
Thank you for your good work.
Did the CIA interview this guy? I hope they did. As you notice from the article, I strongly believe that the materials to make Chemical weapons are buried in the desert.
And the Truth shall set you free...
Thanks as always.
“Did the CIA interview this guy?”
Unfortunately, there is no way for me to tell. We did some work for the CIA once at the government lab where I worked and they tend to be quite secretive.
So what, exactly, are we waiting for — the U.S., I mean — what is keeping us from digging for the darn stuff?
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