- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
forces on Sunday found what they believe to be a "huge" chemical
weapons factory near the Iraqi city of Najaf, about 100 miles south of
Baghdad, U.S. networks and the Jerusalem Post reported.
-
- Fox News and the Jerusalem Post, which had a reporter
traveling with the U.S. forces, cited unidentified Pentagon officials as
saying the facility was seized by the First Brigade of the U.S. Army's
3rd Infantry Division as they advanced north toward Baghdad.
-
- About 30 Iraqi troops, including their commanding general,
surrendered to U.S. forces as they overtook the installation, apparently
used to produce chemical weapons, the Jerusalem Post reported.
-
- One soldier was lightly wounded when a booby-trap exploded
as he was clearing the sheetmetal-lined facility, the report said.
-
- The 100-acre complex is adjacent to military barracks
and surrounded by an electric fence, the report said.
-
- It was not immediately clear what chemicals were being
produced at the facility, but both reports said the Iraqis had tried to
camouflage the facility so it looked like the surrounding desert and would
not be spotted from the air.
-
- ABC News cited one unidentified official as saying of
the captured Iraqi general: "He is a potential gold mine of evidence
about the weapons Saddam Hussein said he does not have."
-
- Asked to comment on the reports, a Central Command official
said in an e-mail: "While media reports are premature, we are looking
into sites of interest."
-
-
-
-
- Comment
-
- From Frank Altomonte
- 3-24-3
-
- Jeff - If anyone believes this story they will believe
anything. I guess the UN inspectors were asleep on this one? Not! This
is obviously a planted story from "unidentified Pentagon officials".
-
- This should be big news. This sort of vindicates Bush
in the eyes of the world. Why don't they hang their names on this? Because
it's another lie!
-
- Sorry for the strong language, but we're at war and people
are dying.
-
- Peace.
-
-
- From Eileen Williams
- 3-24-3
-
- Right...Sure! All those UN Inspectors could never locate
this '100 yard' long
- facility. And Saddam is so stupid, he would just let
this plant sit out there
- waiting to be discovered. Barf bags, anyone? This is
just another piece
- of contrived manipulation and b*llshit being trotting
out to try to convince
- an American public which is not happy with Bush's War.
Pathetic.
-
-
- From Fred P.
- 3-24-3
-
- This is only the beginning... The US and British are
testing the world opinion and fine-tuning the big lies that they will soon
unleash. How difficult is it to have US soldiers or agents put chemicals
in a warehouse some place in the desert, let US-media cameras tape it,
and claim that Iraqis had chemical weapons? Probably as "difficult"
as it is for them to light up the oil wells are blame Saddam for it. So,
it's only the beginning... Yes, the US "WILL" find chemical weapons
in Iraq, and the international community will believe them.
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