Chemical weapons stored near Capital, captured Iraqi claims

Stars and Stripes European edition ^ | March 29, 2003 | Mark Oliva

[jerseygirl]

Chemical weapons stored near capital, captured Iraqi claims

By Mark Oliva, Stars and Stripes European edition, Saturday, March 29, 2003

SOUTHERN IRAQ — An Iraqi soldier captured in the battle for An Nasiriyah claims that Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons are stored closer to Baghdad.

The soldier, a major, was captured by members of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment. The battalion is part of Task Force Tarawa, which has been fighting in An Nasiriyah for nearly a week.

Marines briefly interrogated the 35-year-old soldier when he and another soldier surrendered along the highway into the city, said Capt. Aaron Robertson, intelligence officer for 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines.

The captured Iraqi officer was in uniform, wearing a sweater and beret. Marines flex-cuffed both prisoners before whisking them away in an armored Humvee.

The man claims to be a chemist, Robertson said.

“He said nothing of the chemical capabilities [near here],” Robertson said. “He claimed most of the chemical munitions are being stored closer to Baghdad.”

The man is now in the hands of the Marine intelligence personnel, who are interrogating him, Robertson said.

The battle for An Nasiriyah, about 200 miles south of Baghdad, began Sunday. The Marines’ objective is to seize two bridges over the Euphrates River needed to keep moving troops and supplies north toward Baghdad.

After hearing reports of thousands of Iraqi soldiers surrendering in the early days of war, Marines expected little resistance in An Nasiriyah. But the battle has proved to be more difficult. The forces opposing the Marines aren’t conventional forces, but groups known to be loyal to Saddam Hussein.

The captured Iraqi major said “Ba’ath Party irregulars and Fedayeen Saddam forces” are taking part in the fight, according to Robertson.

“They were well organized and well prepared,” Robertson said. They were ready to fight, and they will fight to the death, he added.

Robertson said the Iraqi irregulars were dressed in civilian clothes and heavily equipped. They are armed with tanks, mortars, anti-aircraft guns as well as rifles. Many have been fighting from bunkers in the city.

— Stars and Stripes reporter Mark Oliva is embedded with members of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, which is fighting in southern Iraq.

[demlosers]

“He claimed most of the chemical munitions are being stored closer to Baghdad.”

It's consistent with what we believe is true.

[laz17]

Doesn't surprise me. It makes perfect sense he would remove them from the southern areas where coalition forces could find them and position them closer to Baghdad. Blix himself said the other day that we should search the basements of Baghdad. Of course, he never had any intention of searching those basements during his inspections.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

We need to send in Hans Blix to verify this. /bs

[randita]

There is an extensive underground bunker network underlying Baghdad. The German who designed and built it said it is impenetrable. But then again, that's what we were told about Tora Bora.

When we get close enough, a few of those air sucker (I forget the real name of it) bombs can be placed at one or more of the bunker's entrance. Those bombs worked like a charm at Tora Bora.

[randita]

There is an extensive underground bunker network underlying Baghdad. The German who designed and built it said it is impenetrable. But then again, that's what we were told about Tora Bora.

When we get close enough, a few of those air sucker (I forget the real name of it) bombs can be placed at one or more of the bunker's entrance. Those bombs worked like a charm at Tora Bora.

[jerseygirl]

Blix is an idiot.

[Sabatier]

Saddam may rather level Baghdad flat or turn it into a total biohazard zone rather than let it be occupied by the US.
Kind of like, "if I can't have it, you can't have it either."

[Scott from the Left Coast]

They were ready to fight, and they will fight to the death, he added.

Let's acommodate 'em.

[jerseygirl]

Some posters have argued that Saddam won't use his chemicals, and have provided good reasons why he would not. Maybe I'm too pessimistic, but I do believe the RG are going to launch these weapons; i.e. "use 'em or lose 'em", when we get to a certain point and they feel overrun/threatened with loss.

[U S Army EOD]

We were also told the same thing about the Atlantic Wall and the Seigfrieg Line.

[repub32]

I dont think this Guy has any idea we have a 21000lb bunker bomb we Just tested.....

[expatpat]

If i't up to Sadam, he will use them before he's taken out, IMO. However, he has to rely on others to actually do it and, hopefully, they will decline.

[maestro]

?He said nothing of the chemical capabilities [near here],? Robertson said. ?He claimed most of the chemical munitions are being stored closer to Baghdad.?

Sure.

[cfrels]

Do you know if the German gave us maps of the tunnels?

[Ymani Cricket]

We havent even used our big serious bunker busting stuff yet. Not the BLU-82. Didn't we especially design some more new goodies for use in Afghanistans cave networks?

[Helvan]

Saddam's "red line" outside Baghdad that Coalition forces must pass before his forces use their WMD is probably where his outlying chemical weapons caches are. He'll try and use them just before we find them, not sooner or later.

[Ymani Cricket]

clarification: The BLU-82 is not a bunker buster. But I haven't heard that we used it yet for shock value.

[jerseygirl]

I think so, too. It will be a race between us finding and destroying them, and RG launching them. How far is the red line- 25 kilometers?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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