Inspectors find empty chemical warheads in Iraq

I think yesterday they had found some illegally imported (duel use items banned by the UN) materials.

 

This plus the weapons report could be considered a breach of 1441, and I'm sure will be by the US. However, I doubt this will change anyones minds. If anything, this will be used as proof that inspections alone will disarm Iraq.

Additionally, illegal dual use items are nothing new, either.

 

I wonder how we'll reconcile the fact that we supplied them with those chemical weapons.

 

ok boys and girls, lets slow down and see what happens with this before we go jumping to conclusions (either way)

 

Bombs away

 

Too late, we already nuked 'em

 

One of the best songs of 2000.

 

NPR reports that anti-Saddam grafitti is popping up all over Baghdad.

 

Could this be the first sign of the war for their minds, followed closely by military force? I hope not.

 

That can't be. 100% of the people there love Saddam.

 

If these reports are true, I expect to see the war start by the end of next week.

 

latest...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1307-2003Jan16.html

But Lt. Gen. Hossam Mohammed Amin, the chief Iraqi liaison officer to the inspection teams, said they were short-range shells imported in 1988 and mentioned in Iraq's December declaration.

He expressed "astonishment" over "the fuss made about the discovery by a U.N. inspection team of 'mass destruction weapons.' It is no more than a storm in a teacup," Amin told a news conference hastily called after the U.N. announcement.

Amin said the inspection team found the munitions in a sealed box that had never been opened and was covered by dust and bird droppings.

"When these boxes were opened, they found 122-mm rockets with empty warheads. No chemical or biological warheads. Just empty rockets which are expired and imported in 1988," Amin said, adding similar rockets were found by U.N. inspectors in 1997.

 

Apparently, it's grafitti by Iraqis, which can only mean Saddam is losing control of the internal police forces.

 

True. He won that last election by a landslide.

 

FWIW, there was a program on the Discovery or History channel a while back about the development of Iraqs chemical weapons during the '80s. It turns out that the Germans provided much more equipment and technical expertise than the US in the development of Iraq's chemical weapons program.

 

That's why they all voted for him.

 

A bumpersticker I saw in Baghdad: "Don't blame, me I voted for... ok, I voted for Saddam too."

 

This kind of missile has a 6-12 mile (10-20km) range depending on the version. It is only a battlefield weapon.

 

The key issue for me will be whether it was disclosed. Hell if I am going to read 1200 pages in arabic to determine whether it was disclosed or not. I know some news media types will. Fox News will have an expert that says it clearly wasn't disclosed, CNN will have an expert that says, it looks to me like it was closed.

To me this is all a red herring in the big scheme of things. From my understanding the Bush administration and Britian are getting ready to release the smoking guns and then go to war shortly thereafter. That will be much more fun than this.

Side note, the one that they say has to be tested sounds like they don't think it was "empty" but wasn't sure exactly what was in it. I think what it has in it might be the most interesting part of the story.

Who gives a crap about how far these missles go. It probably kills Kurds the best.

 

Ladies and gentleman...your tax dollars at work.

Must be like the new movie The Recruit.

NYPD catches this misfit band of taggers who have been hitting major buildings in the five administrative units of New York City. The CIA has been looking for just this chance to up the propaganda in Iraq. After an offer the kids can't refuse, they are deployed in the belly of the beast. Armageddon meets Beat Street. TAG SADDAM!

TAG!

YOU

ARE

IT!

Summer 2004
This film is not yet rated.

 

What evil can they do?

It is not like they can be drawing funny moustaches on all his billboards!

 

Almost no doubt in my mind that we will be at war within a month or two.