Nuclear arms reportedly found in Iraq...UPDATE: Official denies nuclear arms found in Iraq

[conjur]

UPDATE: Official denies nuclear arms found in Iraq
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040721-081009-2541r.htm


http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040721-081009-2541r.htm

Baghdad, Iraq, Jul. 21 (UPI) -- Iraqi security reportedly discovered three missiles carrying nuclear heads concealed in a concrete trench northwest of Baghdad, official sources said Wednesday.

The official daily al-Sabah quoted the sources as saying the missiles were discovered in trenches near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"The three missiles were discovered by chance when the Iraqi security forces captured former Baath party official Khoder al-Douri who revealed during interrogation the location of the missiles saying they carried nuclear heads," the sources said.

They pointed out that the missiles were actually discovered in the trenches lying under six meters of concrete and designed in a way to unable sophisticated sensors from discovering nuclear radiation.

The sources said al-Douri, who is related to former Vice Chairman of the Iraq Revolution Council and Saddam's right-hand man Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was captured after Iraqi police intercepted an e-mail message in which he set a meeting with another former Baath official.

The report could not be authenticated by the interior ministry or the national security department, but the paper noted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zibari made a surprise request recently to Mohammed el-Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to resume inspections for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Get ready for claims of "planted evidence" or "shipped in weapons".

 

[halik]

i wonder what comes out of this.... any word as to where are they from?

 

[conjur]

That's all I've seen so far.

Interestalert.com has an article but their site is being hammered (linked on Drudge)

 

[conjur]

Iraq Interior Ministry Says Report on Nukes 'Stupid'
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5731553

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Interior Ministry dismissed as "stupid" a report in a local newspaper on Wednesday that said three nuclear missiles had been found near the town of Tikrit.
A senior U.S. military official told reporters he had no information on the report in the newspaper al-Sabah. He said officials were checking the report.

Asked by Reuters about the report, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said: "It's stupid."

:laugh:

 

[shiner]

If this turns out to be true.....WOW!!!!

I'll wait and see what happens though.....

 

[EXman]

ok who wants to jackhammer this out?

 

[Moonbeam]

70% of the American people now believe that 3 nucular missles were found in Iraq.

 

[rudder]

I'll take a wait and see attitude since these types of reports generally turn out false.

But if it is true it would be interesting to see where the nukes came from. Obviously Iraq was not capable of producing the missiles themselves and likely had to be purchased from another country. Kind of narrows it down a little.

 

[irwincur]

Asked by Reuters about the report, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said: "It's stupid."

Sounds pretty normal for the official line. Weapons found by non central authorities (police), no verification yet, so of course the official authorities are going to be hush, hush. Not to mention I am sure that if there are nukes there, they would rather not have the terrorists know of 1) their location, and 2) those that have knowledge of them before the site and or other sites can be secured.

For most governments this is a type of national security issue that you would try to persuade the press from commenting on - until the situation is under control. Happens all of the time. My guess, we will know in a few hours after the US military arrives.

If this is the case, well, Kerry better have one hell of a back up plan.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
70% of the American people now believe that 3 nucular missles were found in Iraq.

Sad but true.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: irwincur

Asked by Reuters about the report, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said: "It's stupid."

Sounds pretty normal for the official line. Weapons found by non central authorities (police), no verification yet, so of course the official authorities are going to be hush, hush. Not to mention I am sure that if there are nukes there, they would rather not have the terrorists know of 1) their location, and 2) those that have knowledge of them before the site and or other sites can be secured.

For most governments this is a type of national security issue that you would try to persuade the press from commenting on - until the situation is under control. Happens all of the time. My guess, we will know in a few hours after the US military arrives.

If this is the case, well, Kerry better have one hell of a back up plan.

I think both Bush and Kerry are crossing their fingers right now....
If those are actual nukes, they would be from russia most likely. Iraq didn't have the capacity to produce em and neither did al Quaeda. Def. interesting news...

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: irwincur

Asked by Reuters about the report, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said: "It's stupid."

Sounds pretty normal for the official line. Weapons found by non central authorities (police), no verification yet, so of course the official authorities are going to be hush, hush. Not to mention I am sure that if there are nukes there, they would rather not have the terrorists know of 1) their location, and 2) those that have knowledge of them before the site and or other sites can be secured.

For most governments this is a type of national security issue that you would try to persuade the press from commenting on - until the situation is under control. Happens all of the time. My guess, we will know in a few hours after the US military arrives.

If this is the case, well, Kerry better have one hell of a back up plan.

I think both Bush and Kerry are crossing their fingers right now....
If those are actual nukes, they would be from russia most likely. Iraq didn't have the capacity to produce em and neither did al Quaeda. Def. interesting news...

I was thinking North Korea....if it turns out to be true.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: irwincur

Asked by Reuters about the report, a spokesman at the Interior Ministry said: "It's stupid."

Sounds pretty normal for the official line. Weapons found by non central authorities (police), no verification yet, so of course the official authorities are going to be hush, hush. Not to mention I am sure that if there are nukes there, they would rather not have the terrorists know of 1) their location, and 2) those that have knowledge of them before the site and or other sites can be secured.

For most governments this is a type of national security issue that you would try to persuade the press from commenting on - until the situation is under control. Happens all of the time. My guess, we will know in a few hours after the US military arrives.

If this is the case, well, Kerry better have one hell of a back up plan.

I think both Bush and Kerry are crossing their fingers right now....
If those are actual nukes, they would be from russia most likely. Iraq didn't have the capacity to produce em and neither did al Quaeda. Def. interesting news...

I was thinking North Korea....if it turns out to be true.

North Korea? I dont think they even had diplomatic relations. Look where vast majority of iraq's military equipment came from... It would not be too far fetched that some warheaeds got lost when SSSR started to crumble.

I'm from eastern europe and i remember my dad buying hundreds of gallons of diesel from Russian tankists when they were pullign outta Czech republic. They were offering the t72s for sale too....

 

[Train]

all they have to go on is that this captured baathist said they were nuclear?

I wonder if whoever sold him the warheads just told him that ($$). Like he has any way of knowing.

 

[irwincur]

Pre Mushareff (sp?) Pakistan is also a good option. But I would say N Korea (yes they had relations) or Russia. Maybe (a long shot) China. About N Korea and the Middle East - who do you think makes the Scud missile - they are almost all shipped from N Korea. Including the illegal missiles that Saddam had during the war. A good reason why N Korea is part of the Axis of Evil.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Train
all they have to go on is that this captured baathist said they were nuclear?

I wonder if whoever sold him the warheads just told him that ($$). Like he has any way of knowing.

well all it takes is a geiger computer, plus 6 feet of concrete might have been an overkill for non-nukes

also i find it amusing that people actually use the term 'axis of evil" ....

 

[fjord]

Yet another opportunity for Bush to say "Nuk-u-lur"

The horror.

 

[CaptnKirk]

6 meters of concrete is more like 20 feet.

So they have found an underground concrete vault.
Have they actually opened it and gone in with radiation detectors,
or is this just more speculation. Few 'Other' and respectable news
sources have jumped onto the band wagon yet.

 

[Train]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
6 meters of concrete is more like 20 feet.

So they have found an underground concrete vault.
Have they actually opened it and gone in with radiation detectors,
or is this just more speculation. Few 'Other' and respectable news
sources have jumped onto the band wagon yet.

it appears so far no one has actually confirmed anything, like i said above, all they have to go on right now is what this guy says, no point in saying they are nuclear (or any type of non-conventional) until someone can inspect them and verify whats in these warheads

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
6 meters of concrete is more like 20 feet.

So they have found an underground concrete vault.
Have they actually opened it and gone in with radiation detectors,
or is this just more speculation. Few 'Other' and respectable news
sources have jumped onto the band wagon yet.

crap,
i read 6 feet of concrete and had no scale what that is ( i think in metric ) .... 6m of concrete is massive, that's specs for fallout shelter rather than just a trench with some covering.

 

[Moonbeam]

Each one was autographed by Saddam.

 

[zantac]

Al-Sabah opened last year with backing from the former U.S.-led administration in Iraq.

I am skeptical of this find, at best.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Each one was autographed by Saddam.

that would be classic....

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Each one was autographed by Saddam.

Think it read: "Go fvck yourself, Cheney"?

 

[NightCrawler]

Wow..... Bush is hoping it's true and Kerry is praying it's not.

That would certainly be in Bush's favor.


I'm very skeptical about it.

PS: The Right will say it justifies the war and the left will say they were planted.