Iraq uncovers al-Qaeda 'chemical weapons plot'

[Bosonic]

Source: BBC

The authorities in Iraq say they have uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to use chemical weapons, as well as to smuggle them to Europe and North America.

Defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said five men had been arrested after military intelligence monitored their activities for three months.

Three workshops for manufacturing the chemical agents, including sarin and mustard gas, were uncovered, he added.

Remote-controlled toy planes were also seized at the workshops.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22742201

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Curiouser and curiouser...

Al-Qaeda in Iraq making chemical weapons.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq allied with Sunni rebels in Syria.

Sunni rebels in Syria desperately want to draw the West in alleged regime chemical attacks.

Looks like the making of false-flag chemical attack reports.

[SkyDaddy7]

15. Such a stretch!

But hey when you play make believe anything is possible.

[Comrade Grumpy]

16. Yeah, like sucking the West into intervening under false pretenses.

[SkyDaddy7]

17. False pretenses?

The West should have set up a no fly zone last year & maybe this madness would be over by now!

[Mnemosyne]

2. And to think they weren't even in Iraq when we shock and awed them in 2003. nt

[SCVDem]

3. Just one point

Yet again it is the INTEL and not a country occupying military force which scores these victories.

This is the best way to keep collateral damage, (civillian deaths) to a minimum.

Could America say that under the Bush Doctrine? Epic FAIL!

Obama is trying to move further into covert ops but the GOP, Mitch and John and Lindsey don't see the light.

$$$$ I wonder why? $$$$$$

[Pterodactyl]

4. Good! I'm glad they were caught.

[Lasher]

5. Not the first time this has happened.

Iraqi Chemical Stash Uncovered

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, August 14, 2005

BAGHDAD, Aug. 13 -- U.S. troops raiding a warehouse in the northern city of Mosul uncovered a suspected chemical weapons factory containing 1,500 gallons of chemicals believed destined for attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces and civilians, military officials said Saturday.

Monday's early morning raid found 11 precursor agents, "some of them quite dangerous by themselves," a military spokesman, Lt. Col. Steven A. Boylan, said in Baghdad.

Combined, the chemicals would yield an agent capable of "lingering hazards" for those exposed to it, Boylan said. The likely targets would have been "coalition and Iraqi security forces, and Iraqi civilians," partly because the chemicals would be difficult to keep from spreading over a wide area, he said.

Boylan said the suspected lab was new, dating from some time after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Bush administration cited evidence that Saddam Hussein's government was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction as the main justification for the invasion. No such weapons or factories were found.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/13/AR2005081300530.html

[jimlup]

6. So the irony (if true) is

No chemical weapons in Iraq prior to 2003. But now, as a direct result of the Al Qaida infiltration following the Bush team's haphazardly thought through Iraq war of 2003 Iraq is now the source of chemical weapons in Syria!!!??? As a result of an Al Qaida/Sunni alliance???



(OK, I admit that it isn't really funny. Horrible and sad really but I can't help but laugh at the irony.)

[leveymg]

7. So, if we arm them to overthrow the regime, what do we give that they don't already have? ICBMs?

What do you give the well-armed Sunni freedom fighter who already has everything?

Surplus Minuteman IIIs? B-52s? Aging Trident submarines?

[pasto76]

8. maybe Im sensitive to these reports because I was in iraq in 2003

'plot'? 'workshops'? toy planes?

were they actually producing chemical agents? was this plot operational, or still 'in the planning stages' as we finally end up hearing so often.

could it be that AQI is misleading the iraqi government? a very zealous iraqi government eager to show the world they can handle AQ by themselves... much ado about nothing

[Ford_Prefect]

9. We believe this, Why???????? How many times is the press going to buy into WMD plots?

This story looks too much like it was set up to be "found" at a convenient moment.

All that is missing is an Iranian government connection, which no doubt will surface in due course.

[Bosonic]

10. I don't think you understand the Geo/Religous Politics of the region

The Iraqi gov is *highly* unlikely to try to pin this on Iran.

[Ford_Prefect]

11. My point about Iran was only to emphasize the likely nature of the "foreign intelligence services".

Since Israel is still trying to get us into a war with Iran. They have intelligence assets active on the ground in both Iraq and Iran just as US Intel and "contract" players are.

We cannot take the report at face value for far too many obvious reasons.

The complete confessions of the 5 men and the way it was reported sounds ever so much like an Iraqi version of "round up the up the usual suspects".

12 years of lies makes the whole thing a bit too hard to take as read.

[John2]

12. I don't think so.

I've already indicated sources, not connected to the Western Media, but to Russia Media, was demanding the Turkish Government release information about apparent raids they recently did on some rebels connected to Al Nusar in Ankara. The Russian Foreign ministry is alleging Turkish security forces unraveled a plot some rebels were planning to use sarin in Aleppo. They alleged the Turkish security forces found sarin in their possession and the Russians are demanding the Turkish Government release the evidence publicly. I don't know what all these demonstrations are about in Turkey but there are people in Turkey opposing the government's support for extremists fighting in Syria. There has been acts of Terror along the Turkish border, including car bombings.

[Ford_Prefect]

14. To underscore my comment we do not know the evidence nor the details of the "confessions".

My point is that there are many players here. Some have their own agendas inside Syria, or Turkey, or perhaps Iraq or Iran. Some are playing to a larger audience. The Turkish security forces seem to have several objectives, some of which may be as proxy for the US intel services, some no doubt are part of the anti-Kurd variety.

There seem to be multiple groups inside Syria acting as local militia. Some of them are allied and some are very localized, almost tribal. The Turks, Russians, US, Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, Saudis, Israelis and who knows maybe the Chinese, have all got irons in this fire and hope to manipulate things to suit themselves. It seems very similar to Lebanon in years past when the cold war was still on.

That anyone with an interest was facilitating bomb making may be true. It may be equally true that the thing was used as a setup to give the Iraqi security forces credibility. Facts that can be confirmed are not offered by any agency with credibility.

It seems highly unlikely that AQ agents working on such materials would have surrendered, let alone confessed. One has to ask what the value of confessing would be? Why would they bother to do so? How could it possibly benefit them to do it?

It may indeed be more or less what we've been told. I am not persuaded we have heard meaningful truth so far. The term Dog and Pony Show comes more easily to mind.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

13. Is Al Q still going strong?

Can't be many of them left.