Main > Everything Else
Lost: 380 tons of high explosives - Last seen in Iraq
TA Pilot:
Troops from 3 ID were there on 5 April and saw the explosives in question.
5 days later, on 10 April, troops from the 101 AB were there and the explosives were gone.
What happened in those 5 days?
Why is it news, 18 months later?
patrickl:
Drew,
I'm not gonna post a reply on all your misunderstandings in the other thread over here in this thread. If you really want an explanation, just read the messages again. If you see a contradiction you are simply misunderstanding either of the posts.
I'll just explain that "France" did not violate the sanctions. If french weapons were sold to Iraq they could have come from anywhere. The Duelfer report mentions arms dealers getting them from Syria and Jordan. In fact the Duelfer report also mentions US companies violating the sanctions (but hides the names!). Does that mean "the US" defied the sanctions? No indeed not. Just that some criminals in the US did.
My "defense" on this thread is that the article Crazy Cooter pointed too claimed the explosives were there in september 2003 and that there was an inspection again on october 15th (doesn't mention a year, but I assumed they meant 2004) So this is in fact a newsreport on an investigation that just took place.
BTW Where do you find that the items were under UN guard? The UN was not in that war. The US military just sat still for a week while the country was looted. Why was that? Yep no planning.
Crazy Cooter:
"Cooter, the explosive power of the items in question could indeed cause trembling of the ground. To use the phrase "could cause an earthquake" is a bit of hyperbole."
Yeah, mameo wants me to blame Bush for earthquakes. That's as much of a stretch I could make. ;)
TA Pilot:
My "defense" on this thread is that the article Crazy Cooter pointed too claimed the explosives were there in september 2003 and that there was an inspection again on october 15th (doesn't mention a year, but I assumed they meant 2004) So this is in fact a newsreport on an investigation that just took place.
But this isnt the case.
The last IAEA inspection was Jan 2003.
9 April 2003, 101 AB did not see them
23 May 2003, the ISG said they were not there.
So, of the million or so tons of stored munitions in Iraq, almost 1/3 of which have been destroyed since 19 MAR 2003, ~380 tons went missing asometime between Jan and 9 April 2003.
Please note that these ~380 tons of explosive lift capability equates to ~40 10-ton trucks. The explosives were -not- looted.
If this is the "October Surprise" from the left, get ready for 4 more years of Bush.
Crazy Cooter:
--- Quote from: TA Pilot on October 26, 2004, 08:15:09 pm ---
The explosives were -not- looted.
--- End quote ---
"But since the disappearance was reported Monday by The New York Times, he said, he wanted the Security Council to have the letter that he received from Mohammed J. Abbas, a senior official at Iraq