US officials are downplaying claims that allied soldiers have uncovered a chemical weapons site near al-Najaf in southern Iraq.
Asked at a news conference in Qatar about reports of the chemical plant, Lt Gen John Abizaid of US Central Command refused to comment.
He would only say: "We have an Iraqi general officer, two Iraqi general officers that we have taken prisoner, and they are providing us with information. "
The 100-acre plant is located next to a military facility and is surrounded by an electronic security fence which raised suspicions that it was related to chemical or biological weapons production.
It will likely take significant time to determine if the plant was producing banned agents, however, given its location and size it is within the realm of possibility that the facility is related to weapons production. Clearly the Pentagon would rather err on the side of caution in determining the nature of this facility before making any claims.
UPDATE: Sources keep changing on this one. CNN had a crawl that made it look like Franks was confirming something was found there, while others say no. Again, the fog of war is thick. I report, you decide (or deride as the case may be).
The Pentagon is backpeddling… gee what else is new?
You can be sure of one thing, if any Chemical weapons were in there, the Pentagon would be saying “told you so” right about now…
But nothing was found…
Not to worry though, they are “working” on it…
Heh heh. Open mouth, insert foot, eh Jay?
I’m certain the plant was a “Baby Milk Factory” or manufactured aspirin hence the need for locating it next to a military base out in the desert and surrounding it with an electric fence and booby trapping the premises with explosives not to mention putting a military general in apparant charge of the facility. Besides the UN inspectors told us the Iraqi’s don’t have chemical weapons.