As I noted in my earlier post, the Washington Times Bill Gertz is the first of the major media to be on the chemical weapons lab story:
Chemicals and bomb-making literature found at two houses in Fallujah, Iraq, last week show Iraqi rebels are prepared to use chemical and biological weapons in future attacks, a U.S. military spokesman said yesterday.
Rebels in Fallujah had materials for making chemical blood agents and also a “cookbook” on how to produce a deadly form of anthrax, said Army Lt. Col. Steven A. Boylan in a telephone interview.
Gertz had reported on Zaqawi’s ties to al-Qeada and Baghdad back in July. It’s difficult to believe that Zarqawi was going about this without at least Saddam’s tacit approval.
I don’t think it is difficult to believe that. The Fallujah groups were not friends of Saddam’s. These were unfriendly Sunni tribes that Saddam had a great deal of trouble controlling.
We have yet to hear how old the labs appear to be, but I expect that we will find they were created after the invasion of Iraq.
Saddam was a very paranoid man. There’s no way he would allow a group that had vowed to overthrow him to develop chemical and biological weapons that could be used against him.
Comment by Jack — 20041130 @ 1756
The labs appear to be something privately put together, rather than a state-sponsored effort. However, there are some things, such as Sarin test kits, which indicate they capitalized on the remains of something grander.
I know nothing of Aarqawi plotting to overthrow Saddam. But, if that is so, why would Saddam even allow him to be running around baghdad, setting up cells?
Comment by Kevin L. Connors — 20041130 @ 1806