Posted on 03/24/2003 1:57:35 AM PST by rantblogger
US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT Caroline Glick Mar. 24, 2003
US forces of the 3rd Infantry Division have captured a huge installation in southern Iraq apparently used to produce chemical weapons.
A general was among 30 Iraqi soldiers who immediately surrendered to the soldiers on Sunday afternoon in the complex near Najaf, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Baghdad.
Asked about The Jerusalem Post's exclusive coverage of this development, US Lt. Gen. John Abizaid, Deputy Commander of Central Command, told reporters: "I'm not going to confirm that report, but we have one or two generals officers who are providing us with information." Other US officials have since confirmed that the site is indeed a suspected chemical weapons factory.
Fox Television News called the Post report Monday "a topic of a great deal of interest in Washington." The network quoted Pentagon sources as reporting the find of yet another chemical factory elsewhere in Iraq, but gave no further details.
One soldier was lightly wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off as he was clearing the sheet metal-lined chemical facility shortly after the troops stormed in on Sunday afternoon.
The huge 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence, would be the first illegal chemical plant to be uncovered by US troops in their current mission in Iraq. The surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum. It wasn't immediately clear exactly which chemicals were being produced here, but clearly the Iraqis tried to camouflage the facility so it could not be photographed aerially, by swathing it in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert.
Within minutes of our entry into the camp on Sunday afternoon, at least 30 Iraqi soldiers and their commanding officer of the rank of general, obeyed the instructions of US soldiers who called out from our jeep in loudspeakers for them to lie down on the ground, and put their hands above their heads to surrender.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
| U.S. captures Iraqi chemical-weapons plant |
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| Posted by JohnHuang2 On 03/24/2003 3:35 AM CST WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Sunday, March 23, 2003 U.S. forces have uncovered an illegal chemical-weapons plant in An Najaf, some 90 miles south of Baghdad, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post. The discovery of the chemical plant was also later confirmed by Fox News. A senior Pentagon official told network correspondent Bret Baier that coaltion forces discovered a ''huge'' chemical-weapons factory near An Najaf. At least 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to troops with the 3rd Infantry Division within minutes of U.S. forces entering the area to capture the sheet metal-lined chemical weapons production facility. One U.S. soldier was wounded when a booby-trapped... |
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| MSNBC- American Troops Have Found A Second Chemical Plant In Iraq |
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| Posted by kattracks On 03/23/2003 11:15 PM CST with 171 comments MSNBC | 3/23/03 |
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| (US) Chemical weapons depot has a security crack |
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| Posted by pttttt On 03/23/2003 9:34 PM CST with 4 comments Oregonian ^ | March 17, 2003 | Karen Zacharias Chemical weapons depot has a security crack 03/17/03 Karen Zacharias HERMISTON -- Post 9/11 security is so tight at the Umatilla Chemical Depot that even pizza deliveries go no farther than the front gate. Yet that level of concern doesn't appear to apply to the union employees who tend the furnaces where 3,717 tons of deadly sarin, VX and blister agent will be baked at this chemical weapons depot in Northeastern Oregon. Depot Commander Lt. Col. Fred Pellissier recently told the Citizens Advisory Commission here that background checks on union employees isn't the Army's job. "We rely on the unions... |
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| U.S. captures Iraqi chemical-weapons plant |
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| Posted by AmericanMade1776 On 03/23/2003 8:49 PM CST with 13 comments 2003 WorldNetDaily.com ^ | March 23, 2003 U.S. forces have uncovered an illegal chemical-weapons plant in An Najaf, some 90 miles south of Baghdad, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post. The discovery of the chemical plant was also later confirmed by Fox News. A senior Pentagon official told network correspondent Bret Baier that coaltion forces discovered a ''huge'' chemical-weapons factory near An Najaf. At least 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to troops with the 3rd Infantry Division within minutes of U.S. forces entering the area to capture the sheet metal-lined chemical weapons production facility. One U.S. soldier was wounded when a booby-trapped... |
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| U.S. Finds Suspected Iraq Chemical Plant |
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| Posted by AntiGuv On 03/23/2003 7:59 PM CST with 31 comments Associated Press ^ | March 23, 2003 | Matt Kelley WASHINGTON - U.S. troops have found a suspected chemical factory in Iraq and officials were trying to determine late Sunday whether it was involved in making chemical weapons, U.S. officials said. The plant is near the city of An Najaf, which U.S. troops reached Sunday on a push to Baghdad, the officials said. President Bush and other U.S. officials say ridding Saddam Hussein's regime of chemical and biological weapons is the main objective of the war. Saddam's government denies it has any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons or programs to produce them. Asked at a news conference in Qatar Sunday... |
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| IRAQ War news from Australia : Chemical weapons plant found by US: report |
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| Posted by Ernest_at_the_Beach On 03/23/2003 7:47 PM CST with 27 comments The Sydney Morning Herald. ^ | March 24 2003, 12:20 PM | Staff and news service reports Chemical weapons plant found by US: report March 24 2003, 12:20 PM Hit REFRESH for regular updates> Chemical weapons plant found: report> More attacks on Baghdad> Iraqi surrender denied> Iraqis claims to have killed 25 US troops> Desert Rats face fierce resistance at Basra> Cruise missiles found in hidden arsenal> Bush demands humane treatment for US POWs> ITV journalist Terry Lloyd possibly killed by British forces> Allied coalition in total control of Iraqi air space> Rumsfeld's referral to missing plane was friendly fire victim> Israeli arms manufacturers claim 'missile' is actually radar decoy> US protests to Moscow over Russian arms... |
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| Chemical Plant Found |
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| Posted by rhombus On 03/23/2003 7:41 PM CST with 47 comments Sky News ^ 'CHEMICAL PLANT FOUND' A huge chemical weapons factory has been found in Iraq, according to Pentagon sources. The facility was found by advancing US troops in An Najaf, around 100 miles south of Baghdad, the sources say. The general in charge of the factory was arrested by the 1st Brigade of the Third Infantry division and is being questioned, the sources said. An unconfirmed report by Fox news said the complex is around 100-acres, adjacent to military barracks and surrounded by an electric fence. Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said if the claims are substantiated they will in... |
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| US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT |
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| Posted by adanaC On 03/23/2003 7:10 PM CST with 40 comments Jerusalem Post ^ | Mar. 23, 2003 | Caroline Glick US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT Caroline Glick Mar. 23, 2003 About 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to US forces of the 3rd Infantry Division as they overtook huge installation apparently used to produce chemical weapons in An Najaf, some 250 kilometers south of Baghdad. One soldier was lightly wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off as he was clearing the sheet metal-lined facility, which resembles the eery images of scientific facilities in World War II concentration camps. The huge 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence, is perhaps the first illegal chemical plant to be... |
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| 'Huge' Chemical Weapons Plant Found in Iraq |
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| Posted by SolitaryMan On 03/23/2003 7:09 PM CST with 280 comments Foxnews ^ A senior pentagon official has confirmed to Fox News on Sunday that coalition forces have discovered a "huge" chemical weapons factory near the Iraqi city of An Najaf, which is situated some 225 miles south of Baghdad. Coalition troops are also said to be holding the general in charge of the facility. A senior American military officer had said on Saturday U.S. special operations troops combing Iraq for Scud missiles and chemical or biological weapons had found none so far. Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the vice director of |
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The general was overseeing the production of detergents to clean the barracks.
How many chemical factories have generals in charge?
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