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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Amount of explosives missing from al-Qaqaa may be overstated |
| 2004-10-28 |
| Iraqi officials may be overstating the amount of explosives reported to have disappeared from a weapons depot, documents obtained by ABC News show. The Iraqi interim government has told the United States and international weapons inspectors that 377 tons of conventional explosives are missing from the Al-Qaqaa installation, which was supposed to be under U.S. military control. But International Atomic Energy Agency documents obtained by ABC News and first reported on "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" indicate the amount of missing explosives may be substantially less than the Iraqis reported. The information on which the Iraqi Science Ministry based an Oct. 10 memo in which it reported that 377 tons of RDX explosives were missing -- presumably stolen due to a lack of security -- was based on "declaration" from July 15, 2002. At that time, the Iraqis said there were 141 tons of RDX explosives at the facility. But the confidential IAEA documents obtained by ABC News show that on Jan. 14, 2003, the agency's inspectors recorded that just over 3 tons of RDX was stored at the facility -- a considerable discrepancy from what the Iraqis reported. The IAEA documents could mean that 138 tons of explosives were removed from the facility long before the start of the United States launched "Operation Iraqi Freedom" in March 2003. The IAEA documents from January 2003 found no discrepancy in the amount of the more dangerous HMX explosives thought to be stored at Al-Qaqaa, but they do raise another disturbing possibility. The documents show IAEA inspectors looked at nine bunkers containing more than 194 tons of HMX at the facility. Although these bunkers were still under IAEA seal, the inspectors said the seals may be potentially ineffective because they had ventilation slats on the sides. These slats could be easily removed to remove the materials inside the bunkers without breaking the seals, the inspectors noted. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #6 I can't believe that no one has picked up on what John Fn sKerry said in one of his speeches. I was watching FNC and I can't remember where Skerry was talking but he said "the explosives from QA QAA where used to blow up the USS Cole, etc.." That is not the verbatum quote but it is what he said and my jaw dropped to the floor. If that where true then it would show that Saddam was working with Al Qeada, and that the IEAE was responsible for not securing the explosives. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the USS Cole bombing happen before the invasion, and before the WTC attack. I also, think that this story was a set up by Clinton to sink Skerry's run for office. Check out my blog, for more. |
| Posted by: SGT. Rock 2004-10-28 12:20:26 PM |
| #5 Hey, this is just a hatchet job concocted by El Baradei, Kerry, and the MSM. Kerry is still sticking with the lie today hoping it will stick with someone that votes. |
| Posted by: John Q. Citizen 2004-10-28 11:42:11 AM |
| #4 ---But International Atomic Energy Agency documents obtained by ABC News and first reported on "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" indicate the amount of missing explosives may be substantially less than the Iraqis reported.--- Gritting his teeth all the way.... Hope he laid in a supply of antacids. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2004-10-28 10:26:17 AM |
| #3 "Sticking it" to the NYT, CBS, or Kerry, doesn't matter to me, as long as its ALBB (Any Liberal But Bush) |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-10-28 10:00:46 AM |
| #2 Actually, I think it was more a chance to "stick it to" NYT and CBS than an outing of Kerry. |
| Posted by: SamL 2004-10-28 8:37:23 AM |
| #1 Tee hee. Since CBS/NYT got their info. from ElBaradei himself, that does not speak well to his competency to head of the IAEA. Another arrow in Bush's quiver as he works quietly to replace the .... gentleman. It does reflect well on ABC and Jennings that they did the research and reported the truth, especially as it makes their boy Kerry look really, really, stupidly vindictive. Does ABC still consider Kerry to be their boy, or have they thrown him over as a bad investment? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-10-28 7:26:08 AM |