Tons Of Iraq Explosives Missing (page 14)

Dan-O

Yes, it was reported on by npr (national public radio).

Oh, now there's the voice of credible journalism.

Satanus

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/29/news/explode.html

PARIS -- A French journalist who visited the Qaqaa munitions depot south of Baghdad in November last year said she witnessed Islamic insurgents looting vast supplies of explosives more than six months after the demise of Saddam Hussein's regime.
The account of Sara Daniel, which will be published Wednesday in the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur, lends further weight to allegations that American occupying forces in Iraq failed to protect hundreds of tons of munitions from extremists plotting attacks against their own troops.
Much of the controversy has centered around the disappearance of about 380 tons of the powerful HMX explosive. The material, which had been monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency before the war and subsequently sealed in bunkers by its inspectors, was reported missing by Iraqi officials earlier this month.
Daniel, who spent nearly two hours at Qaqaa with a group that has since become known as the Islamic Army of Iraq, could not confirm seeing buildings that carried the agency's seal or explosives that were marked to be of the HMX variety. But her report is one of terrorists having easy access to a vast weapons inventory.
"I was utterly stupefied to see that a place like that was pretty much unguarded and that insurgents could help themselves for months on end," Daniel said on Friday. "We were there for a long time and no one disturbed the group while they were loading their truck."
A man who identified himself as Abu Abdallah and led the group Daniel was with, told her that his men and numerous other insurgent groups had rushed to Qaqaa after U.S.-led troops captured Baghdad on April 9 last year. The groups stole truck-loads of material from what used to be the biggest explosive factory in the Middle East in the expectation that coalition forces would move quickly to seal it off, Daniel was told.
Abu Abdullah and his men showed her the arsenal of rocket launchers, grenades and explosives hidden near their small farm houses, she said.
But much to the insurgents' surprise, Qaqaa was not sealed off by U.S. soldiers, leading many groups to stop hoarding and instead going for regular refills of explosive materials, according to Abu Abdullah.
Daniel said she saw how poorly guarded the munitions complex was. During the drive there last November, she recalled seeing few patrols and "far away" from the site. The truck was stopped only once, for about three minutes, Daniel said, by a U.S. soldier in a tank.
Daniel said those who went to Qaqaa to stock up on munitions appeared ready to use them to attack the occupying forces. On Nov. 22, a few days after her visit at Qaqaa, Abu Abdallah's group fired a surface-to-air missile at a DHL cargo-plane. The men gave her a video tape of themselves launching the attack in which she says she clearly recognized Abu Abdallah.
Daniel said she decided to write about her experience at Qaqaa after the disappearance of the HMX explosive became a key dispute in the U.S. presidential election campaign.

'Course, she's french, so she must be lying.

S

ThiChi

SS:

"There is a certain amount of continuity in policy, no matter which party gets in"

This is really true, to an extent... would you not agree, if Hilliry would have had her way in the 90's we would now have

Socialized Medicine? Truly a big departure of America?s values.

Would like to hear your thoughts....

Robor:

You are kidding, right? You feel it is better for France to have lived under Stalin than the US because a US General complimented the Red Army? Who?s army is better is not the point. Hitler and Japan had great Armies, but who wants to live under those Nations in the 30s & 40s? You logic is mind boggling....I give up....let the readers decide!

Double Edge

You feel it is better for France to have lived under Stalin than the US because a US General complimented the Red Army?

Geez.... Patton (a U.S. General) had an opposition opinion of the Red Army. Whatever...

As far as Stalin, before WW II he murdered MILLIONS of his own people (some say up to 25 million). One of the reasons Germany got such a foothold into Russia in the begining was due to the fact that Stalin had executed a very large number of his military officer corp. When the war started, he was caught short of military leadership. Historians agree that he was very fearful of his demise by the Nazis, so much so that for months his fear paralyzed him as far as making decisions. Stalin was one BAD dude... as bad as Adolph, if not worse.

Satanus

would you not agree, if Hilliry would have had her way in the 90's we would now have
Socialized Medicine?

Hard to say. I don't know enough about this. She tried and failed, obviuosly running into heavy opposition. From which sector did it mainly come? Isn't there free medical to an extent already?

S

xenawarrior

As far as Stalin, before WW II he murdered MILLIONS of his own people (some say up to 25 million).

But we aren't supposed to care about how many of his own people he killed- it's supposed to be none of our business eh?

Realist

regarding stalin and hitler:

stalin indeed had already killed millions before the war started. he indeed had the plan to overrun europe (once the west had destroyed itself). but he was not a coward. he stayed in moskau even when the german army was only 50 km away. (however he was probaly paranoid...he ordered the killing of millions randomly picked people to destroy any opposition against him before it can even form).

the killings in the german concentration camps started during the war not before and intensified only as the situation for the germans got more desperate and their cities were destroyed.

Robdar

Robor:
You are kidding, right? You feel it is better for France to have lived under Stalin than the US because a US General complimented the Red Army? Who?s army is better is not the point. Hitler and Japan had great Armies, but who wants to live under those Nations in the 30s & 40s? You logic is mind boggling....I give up....let the readers decide!

Thightea,

You are kidding right? Where in your deluded mind did you hear me say that? I merely called you on your stupidity so don't go putting words in my mouth. Let's get back on subject (which you brought up) instead of trying to distract from your errors, shall we?

Only a dunce would say:

If it was not for the US, you would be Goose Stepping around the Eiffel Tower.....

But then, most of the forum already knows you are a dunce.

ThiChi

Rodan:

Your non-reply is typical. And I wear the "Dunce" label as a badge of honor, coming from the Red Diaper Doper Baby that you are. For Christmas, I am buying you a History Book, fifth grade issued, for comprehension. Just give me your address, somewhere in the hills of Afghanistan, right?

hillary_step

ThiChi,

And I wear the "Dunce" label as a badge of honor,

As if you had a choice!

HS

Tons Of Iraq Explosives Missing

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