The weapons of mass destruction that Sadaam Hussein had prior to the second war with Iraq have been found, 500 shells have been found with sarin and mustard gas in varying condition since 2003. See the full story at Captain’s Quarters, along with the Negroponte memo on the subject.
Here’s are the main findings in the memo:
- Since 2003 Coalition forces have recovered aproximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.
- Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq’s pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.
- Pre-Gulf War Iraqi chemical weapons could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.
- The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.
- The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.
- It has been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desire to acquire and use chemical weapons.
More at Little Green Footballs.
And this memo referred to pre-91 shells that the UN weapons inspectors knew about.
The Pentagon has announced that this is not the evidence that the right blogs and two idiotic Senators think it means.
Defense Department Disavows Santorum’s WMD Claims »
Today, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) held a press conference and announced “we have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.†Santorum and Hoekstra are hyping a document that describes degraded, pre-1991 munitions that were already acknowledged by the White House’s Iraq Survey Group and dismissed.
Fox News’ Jim Angle contacted the Defense Department who quickly disavowed Santorum and Hoekstra’s claims. A Defense Department official told Angle flatly that the munitions hyped by Santorum and Hoekstra are “not the WMD’s for which this country went to war.â€
Interesting to see Santorum and Hoekstra knocked around by Alan Colmes.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/21/dod-disavows-santorum/
Thanks for stopping by Gary, and thanks for the trackback. I can’t agree with you on some points, but I will stick to my word and not refute comments.