What about the mobile bio weapons labs?

[Insane3D]

I just thought of this when replying to the thread about chemical weapons, and it struck me that we have not found any evidence of these. IIRC, back when Colin Powell made his big presentation to the UN, he showed satellite pictures of some tractor trailer trucks he claimed Iraq had converted into mobile bio weapons labs. He said since they constantly moved around, the inpectors would never find them.

Well, now that most of the country is under our control, I would have assumed these would have easily been found. I would imagine you really can't hide a 18 wheeler very easily...not like drums or chemical munitions. Does anyone have any thoughts on these?

One more thing. I am not claiming Saddam never had anything or that we shouldn't be fighting this war, I am just wondering what people think became of these labs, or if they ever existed in the first place. Please keep the discussion civil.

 

[steell]

I believe that only like 50% of the country is under our actual physical control (the populated parts), that leaves a good chunk of Iraq still to be explored. Not to hard to hide a tractor trailer in the remaining part.
IIRC we are still looking for (and finding) missle launchers.

 

[Insane3D]

Good point. I wonder if these could have been driven into Syria or something as well.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Iraq is approximately the size of California. That is a huge area to search. I'll bet I could find places in CA to hide things that would never be found. Within and extending beyond the County of Los Angeles we have a range of mountains called the San Gabriels. The cops and feds can't even control the drugies from growing pot and brewing meth up there. What could be hidden there with govenment complicity?

 

[Alistar7]

There have been instances where trace elements have been found. MSNBC has a former UN weapons inspector embedded who used field tests with equipment similar to the UN and recorded positive findings of WMD.

Give it some time, they will be found, if not, we better start asking what happened to the tons of nerve agents and thousands of liters of anthrax Saddam admitted having.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
Iraq is approximately the size of California. That is a huge area to search. I'll bet I could find places in CA to hide things that would never be found. Within and extending beyond the County of Los Angeles we have a range of mountains called the San Gabriels. The cops and feds can't even control the drugies from growing pot and brewing meth up there. What could be hidden there with govenment complicity?

True. However, if Powell had satellite photos of them for the UN, would they not be able to find them again that way? It seems to me a mobile bio weapons lab would be a much greater find than simply the chemicals themselves. It would show that they were actively working on a bio-weapons program, and not disarming like they claim.

 

[rickn]

I think it is BS. they can't even keep a fighter jet in working order

 

[dahunan]

It is possible that the Iraqis move stuff during sandstorms because they cannot be seen by radar? <<only a guess.. I really have no idea.

 

[Insane3D]

Give it some time, they will be found, if not, we better start asking what happened to the tons of nerve agents and thousands of liters of anthrax Saddam admitted having.

As I replied in the other thread, he claimed it was destroyed after the Gulf War. He could not come up with any proof it was destroyed however, where is where we had a problem. While I think it is more likely he did not destroy most of it and it is hidden, there is the chance he really did destroy it all, or most of it, and just lacked the proper documentation and proof that it was destroyed. IIRC, the original weapons inspections team did destroy quite a bit of what he had. The question was whether he was re-arming with it.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: dahunan
It is possible that the Iraqis move stuff during sandstorms because they cannot be seen by radar? <<only a guess.. I really have no idea.

Another good point. However, I would imagine the movements would be under even more scrutiny now, and they would run a much higher chance of running into coalition troops or more likely, special forces. While they might be easily hidden when they are not being moved around, I would imagine the act of moving them would remove a good deal of that capability to hide them.

 

[Alistar7]

There was plenty left unaccounted for. I have a hard time believing he destroyed them and forgot to provide the evidence that would have ended UN oversight and insured his safety and position as leader of Iraq.

 

[her209]

Was there anything publish of Desert Fox?

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: her209
Was there anything publish of Desert Fox?

OPERATION NAME: Operation Desert Fox



CHRONOLOGY From DESERT STORM to DESERT FOX

notice Clinton's actions in 94... the only thing Saddam responds to, a show of force.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: Alistar7
There was plenty left unaccounted for. I have a hard time believing he destroyed them and forgot to provide the evidence that would have ended UN oversight and insured his safety and position as leader of Iraq.

Oh, I agree it is unlikely he destroyed it all. However, as unlikely as it is, he may have actually destroyed a good deal of it. From the articles I have read in the past, it wasn't so much he had the proof and never gave it to the inspectors, it was that he destroyed it without the inpectors present, so there was really no proof to give other than letting them test the destruction site. Only time will tell I guess.

 

[Alistar7]

He never produced the sites that were used, at least it could be determined some were destroyed there, obviously no way of telling how much. The reality is he has known this was coming, and if he had not passed some along to terrorist groups before then, he surely has by now. One less place to hide, one less govt. to fund and arm them.