AP: U.S. Still Holds 8 Iraqi Scientists

[Barrett808]

Tue Dec 9, 5:35 AM ET
By DAFNA LINZER, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eight Iraqi scientists remain in the hands of U.S. forces searching for weapons of mass destruction while dozens of other experts were cleared or released by U.S. intelligence, officials at the American-run Science Ministry in Baghdad told The Associated Press.

Those who remain in custody were involved years ago with former biological programs such as anthrax, suggesting the U.S.-led weapons hunt is holding out hope for success in that area after finding no evidence there were recent chemical or nuclear weapons programs before the war.

Many Iraqi scientists in those fields who claimed for years that Iraq (news - web sites) no longer had weapons of mass destruction have been rehired by the Science Ministry eight months after the United States went to war to disarm Iraq.

In one case, Alaa al-Saeed, the scientist who oversaw stockpiles of the deadly nerve agent VX, was promoted and is now in charge of overseeing other weapons scientists.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=ap/iraq_weapons_hunt

[Newsjock]

1. What is it with the AP these days?

First, that horrid "mass graves" blowout from the weekend. Then, the "Ron Fournier" story that wasn't really his. Now, this feeble attempt to keep the WMD lie alive.

Does this have anything to do with the fact that the AP's new boss, Tom Curley, came from USA Today, that rah-rah, USA-can-do-no-wrong, advertiser-friendly, marketing-driven piece of fried tripe?

[Tempest]

2. The real reason they are still being held?

They refused to lie about Saddam's WMD program.

BushCo wanted them to say Saddam had an active program even though they knew it to be a lie.

I'll try to find the interview with one of the scientists who was released. He stated that the U.S. investigators were asking the scientists to lie and plant evidence.