Iraqi Colonel: WMD Could've Been Launched in 45 Minutes

FoxNews ^ | Dec. 7. 03 | FoxNews

[milan]

Saddam Hussein (search) had weapons of mass destruction and his army was capable of firing them off in less than 45 minutes, according to an Iraqi colonel's statements in the London Telegraph.

[milan]

This is total garbage. This Iraqi colonol thinks he knows something. I know damn right well that the French and the democrats knew better! < / sarcasm>

[Paul Atreides]

I won't believe a word of it until I hear what Tim Robbins and Babra Streisand have to say. /sarcasm

[milan]

You left out some of the real experts rookie...Sean Penn. Get your facts straight before posting.

[milan]

No, it's not that difficult :P

Saddam Hussein (search) had weapons of mass destruction and his army was capable of firing them off in less than 45 minutes, according to an Iraqi colonel's statements in the London Telegraph.

According to Lt. Col. al-Dabbagh, cases of WMD warheads were shipped under cover of darkness to front-line units, including his own, near the end 2002, the Telegraph reported Sunday.

In September of 2002 the British government published a controversial intelligence report on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, claiming WMD could be launched within 45 minutes. Al-Dabbagh said he believed he was the source of the claim, which was widely criticized as being a ploy by British Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) to gain support for military action in Iraq (search).

"I am the one responsible for providing this information," al-Dabbagh, 40, told the Telegraph when shown the dossier. "It is 100 percent accurate."

"Forget 45 minutes, we could have fired these within half-an-hour," he was quoted as saying.

Al-Dabbagh told the paper that the weapons were Iraqi-manufactured and were designed to be launched from hand-held rocket-propelled grenades. Whether the weapons contained biological or chemical agents was not made clear by al-Dabbagh, the report said.

Iraqi military commanders could use the weapons only on the personal orders of Saddam, al-Dabbagh told the paper, adding: "We were told that when the war came we would only have a short time to use everything we had to defend ourselves, including the secret weapon."

So why weren't the weapons launched against the allied forces encroaching on Iraq? Al-Dabbagh said the majority of the Iraqi army did not want to fight for Saddam.

"The West should thank God that the Iraqi army decided not to fight," he told the paper. "If the army had fought for Saddam Hussein and used these weapons there would have been terrible consequences."

[sharktrager]

Saddam Hussein (search) had weapons of mass destruction and his army was capable of firing them off in less than 45 minutes, according to an Iraqi colonel's statements in the London Telegraph.



According to Lt. Col. al-Dabbagh, cases of WMD warheads were shipped under cover of darkness to front-line units, including his own, near the end 2002, the Telegraph reported Sunday.

In September of 2002 the British government published a controversial intelligence report on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, claiming WMD could be launched within 45 minutes. Al-Dabbagh said he believed he was the source of the claim, which was widely criticized as being a ploy by British Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) to gain support for military action in Iraq (search).

"I am the one responsible for providing this information," al-Dabbagh, 40, told the Telegraph when shown the dossier. "It is 100 percent accurate."

"Forget 45 minutes, we could have fired these within half-an-hour," he was quoted as saying.

Al-Dabbagh told the paper that the weapons were Iraqi-manufactured and were designed to be launched from hand-held rocket-propelled grenades. Whether the weapons contained biological or chemical agents was not made clear by al-Dabbagh, the report said.

Iraqi military commanders could use the weapons only on the personal orders of Saddam, al-Dabbagh told the paper, adding: "We were told that when the war came we would only have a short time to use everything we had to defend ourselves, including the secret weapon."

So why weren't the weapons launched against the allied forces encroaching on Iraq? Al-Dabbagh said the majority of the Iraqi army did not want to fight for Saddam.

"The West should thank God that the Iraqi army decided not to fight," he told the paper. "If the army had fought for Saddam Hussein and used these weapons there would have been terrible consequences."

[visualops]

Oh c'mon, you know there's no WMDs. Besides, Saddam was all talk and no action, he wouldn't have done anything against our oppressive imperialist army while we were busy killing all the old men, women and children.

[lavrenti]

I'd like to know which division of the Iraqi army he was attached to.

It'll tell us where this was verified.

[sofaman]

So what happened to them?

No question in my mind that they had them. Question is, where are they now?

[thinktwice]

Idea for a Bush campaign ad ...

All those wanting Saddam back in power will be voting against Bush next November. Are you one of them?

[luckydevi]

That's what I would like to know.

[lasereye]

It seems like if all the front line units had them, some of them would have been left behind when they were being bombed and abandoning their positions, or they would have had them when they were surrenduring.

[Zipporah]

"So what happened to them? No question in my mind that they had them. Question is, where are they now? "

Good question..

[Spunky]

Last night on NBC news there was an Iraqi in shadow who was saying Saddam had given the order to use the WOD and that the soldiers defied the order and instead buried them in the dessert.

He said when they are sure that Saddam is dead they will disclose where they are buried.

[Paul Atreides]

Well, I only named Tim Sarandon and La Streisand because Tim has a play out, about the war, and Babs posts her brain farts on her website. So there! :-P

[LS]

That IS the question.

[Paul Atreides]

I forgot: the only evil in the world is sitting in the Oval Office of the White House. How dumb of me! /sarcasm

[NutCrackerBoy]

The soldiers defied the order and instead buried them in the dessert.

That happened at our house this Thanksgiving.

[Paul Atreides]

It must have been a fruitcake.

[visualops]

LOL!!

[Spunky]

Tehehehehe! I do that every time. You would think by now I would stop doing that.
;-)