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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Russians may have taken Iraqi explosives |
| 2004-10-28 |
| The controversy over Iraq's missing explosives intensified on Wednesday as the Bush administration rejected charges of incompetence and a senior Pentagon official claimed the munitions may have been removed by Russians before the US-led invasion. Breaking his silence over an issue that has dominated headlines since Monday, President George W. Bush accused John Kerry, his Democratic challenger, of making "wild charges" over the 350 tonnes of explosives and weapons. The Pentagon is still investigating their disappearance. But Scott McClellan, White House press secretary, said there was a "very real possibility" the munitions were taken by the Saddam Hussein regime before US troops arrived at the munitions facility at al-Qaqaa, south of Baghdad. At a rally in Iowa on Wednesday, however, Mr Kerry claimed that Mr Bush had allowed the explosives to fall into the hands of Iraqi rebels. Later, his campaign conceded that the Hussein regime might have removed the munitions before the invasion. But in a further development, John Shaw, a deputy under-secretary of defence, suggested that "Russian units" had transported the explosives out of the country. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Shaw said: "For nearly nine months my office has been aware of an elaborate scheme set up by Saddam Hussein to finance and disguise his weapons purchases through his international suppliers, principally the Russians and French. That network included. . . employing various Russian units on the eve of hostilities to orchestrate the collection of munitions and assure their transport out of Iraq via Syria." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 Reading the Washington Times article, it appears to be more than just one man's opinion. |
| Posted by: V is for Victory 2004-10-28 7:16:15 AM |