Speaking of Syria: Missing Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction
[KLP Note: I received this via email, and haven't checked it out....it goes give some link to check out]
Compiled by: Ryan Mauro
This is a copy of a research report done by WorldThreats.com author Ryan Mauro in his English class, June 8, 2004..
As the political season heats up, we hear calls from opportunistic and ambitious, even hateful, politicians and agenda-driven analysts that Bush is a “liar” and a “traitor”. Yet as they are so busy making accusations, they are ignoring the massive amounts of evidence that Saddam not only had weapons of mass destruction, but they still exist. All the facilities and ingredients necessary for WMDs have been found, but where are the actual weapons? It is unlikely Saddam spent so much money on this infrastructure that could produce such weapons at a moment’s notice, unless he had the intent to produce banned weapons.
The highest-ranking official to confirm that WMDs went to Syria is James Clapper Jr., the head of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. He “said satellite images showing a heavy flow of traffic from Iraq into Syria just before the American invasion in March had led him to believe ‘unquestionably’ that illicit weapons material was moved outside Iraq” (“Spy Agency Chief Suggests Iraq Shipped Out Weapons” 1). This is interesting because press reports indicate that American and Israeli intelligence are in possession of satellite photos showing Iraqi material moving into Syria, being buried there and in Syrian-controlled Lebanon.
David Kay, former head of the Iraq Survey Group searching for evidence of weapons of mass destruction, has hinted at the same conclusion. When he testified about his Interim Report, he reported, “…we know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam’s WMD program. Precisely what went to Syria, and what has happened to it, is a major issue that needs to be resolved” (“Saddam’s WMD Hidden in Syria, Says Iraq Survey Chief” 1).
It is now believed the weapons were shipped into Syria between January and March 2003. Suspected WMD convoys were spotted by US spy satellites, and the contents were confirmed to be WMDs by Syrian defectors (who located where they were stored—under Syrian air force bases). Iraqi scientists and technicians reportedly confirmed suspicious shipments but couldn’t confirm exactly what was inside. Recently, however, “US intelligence managed to track the Iraqi WMD convoy to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Through the use of satellites, electronic monitoring and human intelligence, the intelligence community has determined that much, if not all, of Iraq's biological and chemical weapons assets are being protected by Syria, with Iranian help, in the Bekaa Valley” (“Where are Iraq’s WMDs? New Intelligence Points West Via Syria” 1). It is thought that Syria retained Iraqi dual-use items (items that could be used for weapons purposes under a civilian use cover) for themselves, particularly in the nuclear arena, and moved the actual weaponized agents and missiles to Lebanon.
It appears that dual-use items used by Saddam Hussein were kept in Iraq. That is why “pesticides” and all the ingredients and facilities needed for chemical and biological weapons program were found, minus actual weaponized agents. These items could be found, and not accepted as “evidence” by the international community.
Israeli intelligence believes that the actual weapons are in Syria, but mainly Lebanon—particularly the northern section of the Bekaa Valley where the Syrian army is refusing to withdraw. Israeli intelligence reported, “The banned arsenal, hauled in giant tankers from Iraq to Syria and from there to the Bekaa Valley under Syrian special forces and military intelligence escort, was discharged into pits 6-8 meters across and 25-35 meters deep dug by Syrian army engineers. They were sealed and planted over with new seedlings. Nonetheless, their location is known and detectable with the right instruments. Our sources have learned that Syria was paid about $35 million to make Saddam Hussein’s forbidden weapons disappear” (“Syria
and the WMD Shell Game” 1).
Syrian defector Nizar Nayyouf, deemed to be credible, has reported the locations of the weapons inside
Syria. He says, “"The first of these places is a tunnel on the mountain slope near the village of Baida, which is situated two kilometers from Misyaf…The second of these places is a factory owned by the air force in the village of Tal Sinan, which is situated between the two cities of Hamma and Salmiyah. The third of these places is the town of Shinshar, which is situated 40 kilometers to the south of Hums and 3 kilometers to the east of the Damascus-Hums highway. There are underground tunnels there…” (“The WMD Road to Damascus” 1). In Lebanon, the weapons are located in holes dug in poppy fields dug 20-26 feet across and 82-115 feet deep. They are located at “the valley stretching between Jabal Akroum, the town of al-Qbayyat and the Syrian border. Weapons were also hidden at the land between the towns of al-Hirmil and al-Labwah between the Orontes River and the Syrian border” (“Bashar Assad’s Syria: The Next Target in the War on Terror” 1).
It was because of the pictures taken by spy satellites and Israeli intelligence pictures that US intelligence began concluding in 2004 that Iraqi WMD, including extended-range Scud missiles, were in Syria and Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Syria is also harboring dozens of Iraqi officials, including key WMD and missile scientists. They are likely now part of Syria’s own WMD program (“US Intel: WMD Went to Syria Last Year” 1).
Soon, this will likely all come out in the news. More and more reports are coming out showing a consensus among intelligence agencies that the banned weapons were moved. While this notion is fought by the agenda-driven State Department and to a degree, some in the CIA, the evidence is overwhelming. All we have to do is wait for the opportunistic people who called our own leader a “liar”, without caring about how it would undermine the War on Terror, to have egg all over their face.
Works Cited
Bashar Assad’s Syria: The Next Target in the War on Terror. WorldThreats.com citing Debkafile. May 1, 2003 < worldthreats.com;
Saddam’s WMD Hidden in Syria, Says Iraq Survey Chief. The Telegraph. January 25 2004. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/25/wirq25.xml>
Spy Agency Chief Suggests Iraq Shipped Out Weapons. New York Times. October 28 2003 <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/28/international/middleeast/28CND-WEAP.html?ex=1085457600&en=085ab29b91f15c17&ei=5070>
Syria and the WMD Shell Game. MENewsDaily.com. April 21, 2004 < mensnewsdaily.com;
The WMD Road to Damascus. The National Review. January 12 2004 < nationalreview.com;
US Intel: WMD Went to Syria Last Year. WorldNetDaily.com. January 30 2004 < worldnetdaily.com;
Where are Iraq’s WMDs? New Intelligence Points West Via Syria. Geostrategy-Direct.com. Week of May 25, 2004 < geostrategy-direct.com;
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