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Iraqi Officer Says He Is Source on â45 minuteâ claim
An Iraqi officer has identified himself as the source for a British claim about Saddam Husseinâs weapons that sparked a controversy marked by the death of a British government arms expert. The Sunday Telegraph said Lt. Col. al-Dabbagh identified himself as the source for the British governmentâs assertion that Iraq could have deployed chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of a decision to do so. The paper gave the officerâs surname only, citing fears for his safety if he was fully identified."Accck! Mahmoud! I have a target for you! And youâd better not miss this time!" "But my aim with that grenade was perfect last time, effendi!" [SLAP!] "Idiot! Donât give me that! Youâre a Pakistani, you canât throw a grenade!" Prime Minister Tony Blairâs office declined to comment on the newspaper report, which was featured in early editions published late Saturday. ``Weâre not prepared to comment but we urge all those involved to provide the Iraq Survey Group with whatever information they believe they have,ââ a spokeswoman for Blairâs office said on customary condition of anonymity. The ISG is the coalition body searching for Saddamâs alleged chemical or biological weapons. The 45-minute claim was in a government dossier published in September 2002. A British Broadcasting Corp. report later "Great news, effendi! We have new warhead for the RPG. It delivers wonderous Sarin gas!" "Interesting, Mahmoud. Whatâs the effective dispersed radius of the gas?" "About a hundred meters, effendi." "Whatâs the effective aimed range of the RPG by our elite Republican Guard soldiers?" "About a hundred meters, effendi." "I see. I will have you try it first." The governmentâs September dossier said that ``Iraqâs military forces are able to use chemical and biological weapons, with command, control and logistical arrangements in place. The Iraqi military are able to deploy these weapons within 45 minutes of a decision to do so.ââ The head of the MI6 spy agency, Sir Richard Dearlove, told the inquiry into Kellyâs death that the 45-minute warning in the dossier came from an ``established and reliable source,ââ quoting a senior Iraqi military officer who was in a position to know the information. The Sunday Telegraph said al-Dabbagh believed he was the source for that claim. ``I am the one responsible for providing this information,ââ he was quoted as saying. ``It is 100 percent accurate. ``Forget 45 minutes, we could have fired these within half an hour,ââ al-Dabbagh added. He said the weapons were not used because most of the Iraqi army did not want to fight for Saddam. Guy must be credible, thatâs the second thing heâs got right. The newspaper said al-Dabbagh works as an adviser to the Iraqi Governing Council and said he has received death threats from Saddam loyalists. It reported that Iyad Allawi, the head of the Iraqi National Accord and a prominent council member, confirmed that he had passed information from al-Dabbagh on Saddamâs weapons to British and American intelligence officials in the spring and summer of 2002. Wonder if the Democrats will concede this one to Bush? [crickets chirping] Posted by: Steve White 2003-12-07 |
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