World Threats

The controversial intelligence web site, Debka, is reporting that in mid-February, “Chemical Ali,” the cousin of Saddam Hussein who launched the chemical attack on Iraqi Kurds, went to Damascus to work out the arrangements for Iraqi officials and weapons to go to Syria. Military technicians disguised as Syrian soldiers were reportedly sent to take part in the transfer, and the Syrian engineering corps also dug holes to bury Iraqi al-Hussein medium-range ballistic missiles.

Everyone has an opinion on Debka. To some it’s just speculation and lies meant to make money and spread a pro-Israel agenda; to others its an actual front for Israeli disinformation; to others, its a remarkably accurate service that is required reading for every analyst.

United Press International on February 6, 2003 reported the following:

“Some U.S. intelligence agencies believe that rogue elements of Syria’s ruling elite have accepted millions of dollars in bribes in return for providing a safe haven for some of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, according to former and serving U.S. officials.

Chemical and biological weapons were taken by truck to a Syrian munitions compound near a military base near Khan Abu Shamet, about 50 miles northeast of Damascus, these officials told United Press International.”

New testimony from the former chief of the Israeli Defense Forces buttresses claims that Saddam Hussein’s WMDs were transported to Syria, explaning the failure of Coalition and Iraqi forces to locate them.

General Moshe Yaalon told the New York Sun that Iraq’s chemical weapons went to Syria shortly before the war began.

Entifadh Qanbar, who formerly worked with the Iraqi National Congress group opposed to Saddam Hussein and is now an official at the Iraqi embassy said he agreed with Yaalon’s statement. Qanbar said that the Iraqis lacked an independent intelligence agency and so they couldn’t investigate the issue.

Iraqi politician Mithal al-Alusi also said he believed Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, and said his party would press the Iraqi government to renew the search for the weapons.

Source: Stoll, Ira. “Saddam’s WMD Moved to Syria, an Israeli Says,” New York Sun, December 15, 2002.

GIS/ Defense & Foreign Affairs Daily is reporting that:

“Highly-authoritative, experienced GIS [Global Information System] sources” in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere are reporting that Iraq is moving “substantial caches” of chemical weapons and other material into Syria.

The report says that chemical weapons, nuclear material, production machiney, key experts, strategic weapons, ammunition, gold reserves, national archives and art treasures, and other defense materials were being moved to Hsishi base near Kamishli, Syria between late August and early September 2002. Chemical and biological warhead materials were also moved from al-Qaim in Iraq to this site.

The report says that previously Iraq outsourced its R&D for WMD to Libya, where the Iraqi program overlapped that of Libya’s and Egypt’s. The specific R&D Iraq conducted in Libya was on ballistic missiles, chemical and biological and nuclear weapons, and nuclear material that could potentially be used in “dirty” weapons.

Update: Also described in Yossef Bodansky’s book, “The Secret History of the Iraq War,” p. 35-36.

The subscriber-only intelligence newsletter, Geostrategy-Direct.com, in its week of September 24, 2002 that U.S. satellites are observing the expansion of Syrian missile and WMD sites south of Homs. No specific location is given so it cannot be determined if these sites are the same that are said to hold Iraqi WMD, but the timing is suspicious.

The British press is reporting that Iraqi centrifuge parts originally at the port of Tartus have been smuggled into Syria through the Damascus International Airport. The report says that the Iraqis claimed to be providing assistance in the aftermath of the collapse of a dam as a cover.

Update: This corroborates the story of General Georges Sada, the former #2 man in the Iraqi Air Force who said Iraq smuggled WMD into Syria in this time frame under the cover of providing humanitarian aid after the dam collapsed. Supporters will say this is corroboration, critics will say this shows Sada is basing his claims on open-source reporting and just expanding a bit to sell books and push an agenda. Put me with the former.

Source: London Times, June 17, 2002.