Iraqi Arms Caches Cited in Attacks

[VolcanoJen]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/international/middleeast/14WEAP.html?hp

The two most recent suicide bombings here (Baghdad) and virtually every other attack on American soldiers and Iraqis were carried out with explosives and matériel taken from Saddam Hussein's former weapons dumps, which are much larger than previously estimated and remain, for the most part, unguarded by American troops, allied officials said Monday.

The problem of uncounted and unguarded weapons sites is considerably greater than has previously been stated, a senior allied official said.

<snip>

The American military now says that Iraq's army had nearly one million tons of weapons and ammunition, which is half again as much as the 650,000 tons that Gen. John P. Abizaid, the senior American commander in the Persian Gulf region, estimated only two weeks ago.

<snip>

Officials also say that Mr. Hussein stockpiled at least 5,000 shoulder-fired missiles, and that fewer than a third have been recovered. They fear that many have been smuggled out of the country and may have fallen into the hands of terrorist organizations.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. Bush: a uniter, not a divider

Intelligence agencies have also picked up conversations between Wahhabi Muslims from Saudi Arabia and Iraqi Baathists loyal to Mr. Hussein. That has surprised the officials, because the Wahhabis are highly conservative fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, while the Baathists are moderate Sunnis who until recent years encouraged secularism.

"These are people who normally want to kill each other," said one official.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/international/middleeast/14WEAP.html?hp

He's been able to unite our enemies against us, anyway...