View Full Version : Huge' Chemical Weapons Plant Found in Iraq
nitewriter
03-23-2003, 08:59 PM
This Just IN:
Article doesn't say what kind of chemicals or how much, hopfully more info to come soon.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81935,00.html
Copzilla
03-23-2003, 09:00 PM
Just announced on Fox News Channel, a huge chemical weapons facility has been located about 225 miles south of Baghdad in a town called An Najaf.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81935,00.html
ethics
03-23-2003, 09:04 PM
Merged two posts.
=============
The evidence would be what the chemicals were produced inside.
IamZed
03-23-2003, 09:11 PM
I hope it is not a soap factory being touted as evidence of WMD.
Stiofán
03-23-2003, 09:21 PM
Perhaps the same one we were talking about earlier, where the General surrendered?
rockotman
03-23-2003, 09:25 PM
MSNBC stated that the US military is stating that they have found large vats of chemicals - it is not clear that the chemicals are for chemical weapons.
Fox is jumping the gun again. Don't get me wrong, I hope they are right, and I hope this IS the smoking gun we have been looking for...
But I can already hear the Iraqi regime's reply...
"This was planted by the US Armed Forces. In a plot with the Zionists of Israel. We are not guilty!"
EricaZ98
03-23-2003, 09:27 PM
Originally posted by InsAgt
Perhaps the same one we were talking about earlier, where the General surrendered?
huh?? What General? I didnt hear about a General surrendering. Wasnt a US General was it?? God, I would kill myself before surrendering...
Stiofán
03-23-2003, 09:31 PM
It is the same story as posted earlier here. FOX says there is an Israeli reporter embedded with the troops, and they took this long to confirm his earlier reports were true, but they say Centcom has now confirmed it.
Yes, since an Israeli reporter was involved, it plays into the Iraqi propaganda.
Stiofán
03-23-2003, 09:34 PM
Originally posted by Sydney
huh?? What General? I didnt hear about a General surrendering. Wasnt a US General was it?? God, I would kill myself before surrendering...
This thread was discussing the Israeli news report. http://www.globalaffairs.org/forum/showthread.php?postid=86053#post86053
rockotman
03-23-2003, 09:34 PM
Confirmed that they are definitely chemicals to be used for chemical weapons?
{speditted}
Stiofán
03-23-2003, 09:36 PM
That wasn't clear in the report I saw.
ShinyTop
03-23-2003, 09:59 PM
Hard to see a reason for a soap factory to be camouflaged to look like desert and for it all to be enclosed with barbed wire and protected by Army troops.
ethics
03-23-2003, 10:01 PM
True, but I will withold any judgement until I see irrefutable proof.
P.S. I could give a flying :friggin: what the Arabs think, the WMD evidence is for my own, and other citizens of the world, edification.
IamZed
03-23-2003, 10:09 PM
Originally posted by ShinyTop
Hard to see a reason for a soap factory to be camouflaged to look like desert and for it all to be enclosed with barbed wire and protected by Army troops.
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Hadn’t heard that. Larry King stops the continuous stream of info. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
joseftu
03-24-2003, 09:20 AM
Even this morning, Fox is still reporting this story as if it's fact, and MSNBC, CNN and the others are staying way back from it.
I'm sure WMD will be found, but this may not be it. I certainly would not think Fox is the most reliable of the news organizations.
FOX is a bit, um, sensationalistic, in my opinion.
Stiofán
03-24-2003, 02:49 PM
Originally posted by joseftu
Even this morning, Fox is still reporting this story as if it's fact, and MSNBC, CNN and the others are staying way back from it.
I'm sure WMD will be found, but this may not be it. I certainly would not think Fox is the most reliable of the news organizations.
Well, I guess people believe what they want to believe. I have been switching between all three major cable news programs, and the reporting sounds exactly the same to me for all three. I distinctly remember Fox terming the compound as a "suspected" chemical weapons plant. I was listening very closely because of what was said about them here yesterday. I heard the compound described much the same way by CNN an MSNBC. I know it's not a popular position to defend FOX, but I really didn't see any major differences.
Robert Harris
03-24-2003, 03:47 PM
How about this, found at Drudge:
DJ No Chemical Weapons Found At Site In Najaf - TV
03/24/2003
Dow Jones News Services
(Copyright © 2003 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. officials said Monday that no chemical weapons were found at a suspected site at Najaf in central Iraq, U.S. television networks reported.
NBC News reported from the Pentagon that no chemicals at all were found at the site. CNN, also reporting from the Pentagon, said officials now believe the plant there was abandoned long ago by the Iraqis.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
03-24-03 1222ET
Sunriser13
03-24-2003, 03:51 PM
I remain confused by one aspect, however - and dammit I can't find the links. But if this is an abandoned plant with absolutely no chemicals or value, why was an Iraqi general among those captured while guarding it?
ethics
03-24-2003, 03:53 PM
Decoy?
Robert Harris
03-24-2003, 04:05 PM
Maybe they gave a janitor a fancy uniform to entertain the media. :)
Basically at this point I am not sure we can believe much of what comes along as "hot" news. The media folks are in a big hurry to get stories out and do not seem to be willing to wait to verify things they are told.
Stiofán
03-24-2003, 04:14 PM
Despite what some may think, I believe it would not be in our troops best interest to find any "hot" chemical sites, or at least report it as so until the fighting is over. If you think about it, the only two possible reasons the Iraqi's have not been ordered to use chemical/biological weapons, is that they don't have them (yeah, right...) or they gain sympathy from the world if it appears tehy don't have them. Were we to conclusively prove they have these weapons, they have no real incentive to not start throwing them at our troops as we advance on Bagdad. If this has occurred to me, I'm sure it's occurred to CentCom.
There are rumors and misinformation flowing everywhere right now. Some misinformation is being put out...it's not in our best interests to let everything out regardless of them alowing these reporters to be embedded. And, the reporters are out there rushing to judgement so as to get the "scoop". For many of them, this is the biggest thing that will ever happen to them in their careers. IMO, we all just have to wait and watch.
Fox had originally reported it as a definate 100 acre compound of chemicals of weapon grade. Within 5 minutes, they changed that to a suspected chemicals plant. They were going by what the Israeli reporter had told them. That's what I was saying in another thread...these guys are out there reporting without having to be checked and rechecked.
Look at the embedded reporter that was right there when a grenade hit the jeep or truck and reported that the 4 soldiers were dead. He later had to admit that he assumed they were dead because, after all, no one could survive that. The men were only injured.
IMO, we just have to chill out, relax and wait until the official announcements come out. And then, sit back and wonder if the official announcement is true or misinformation. We're at war... you think they're gonna tell the truth about everything? I dooon't think sooooo...
:)
IMO, we just have to chill out, relax and wait until the official announcements come out. And then, sit back and wonder if the official announcement is true or misinformation. We're at war... you think they're gonna tell the truth about everything? I dooon't think sooooo...
Excellent advice. And you're absolutely right - we're at war. They're not going to tell the truth about everything - even after the war is over.
even after the war is over.
Oh god, and we think we're debating now? rofl
Just wait!