IAEA Seals from Captainsquartersblog.com

Site Notices

TNVC Partners With Envision Technology - MARS Rangefinder Family, MARS-Lc!

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - IAEA Seals from Captainsquartersblog.com

Posted: 10/29/2004 11:45:57 AM EDT

IAEA Seals In ABC Report Don't Match Missing Explosives

Alert CQ reader Boaz B. noticed a detail in the ABC video that apparently has escaped the notice of their reporters and editors. According to the shot shown here, the IAEA seal on the cache found by the soldiers and filmed by the embedded crew did not match the inventory for HMX and RDX stored at Al Qaqaa:

If you review the pictures on the KSTP web site that has the ABC video everyone is using you can see a very clear picture of a seal with its number (#144322). The PDF document of the UN inspections available show the numbers of the seals and none of them have that number. Therefore, it is clear that the bunkers that ABC videoed were not the ones that held the HMX the UN inspected.

Here's a picture of the relevant page of the PDF, which I don't have a link to at the moment:

This demonstrates that the news crew didn't have any idea what they videotaped, and whatever it was, it wasn't the HMX or RDX at Al-Qaqaa. I'd like to find out exactly what was under seal #144322; if anyone has an indexed IAEA inventory, let's find out.

UPDATE: Instapundit says that the seal pictured was one of many at the Al Qaqaa complex, so it's entire possible that this means little or nothing. More as it develops.

UPDATE II: Looking at the IAEA report from its inspection on January 14, 2003, this seal did not cover any of the IAEA materials at Al Qaqaa. Here are the seal numbers that were used to keep the HMX and RDX under wraps:

50/221075
51/221074
59/221073
41/221072
49/221071
35/221076
34/221080
38/361167
37/221087

None of these numbers are even close in sequence to the number shown in the ABC report. Moreover, on page 3 of the report, the IAEA concludes that Al Qaqaa only contains 3,080 kilograms of RDX, or around 3 tons. The amount of HMX noted at the time was 194,741 kg, or about 214 tons. PETN comes in at 3500 kg, or 4 tons. Where does the IAEA come up with 377 tons of material at Al Qaqaa?

I note that some are saying that the picture of the seal is a stock photograph [confirmed, thanks to NZ Bear]. It's an incredibly misleading placement for this story, and it's not labeled as such. Having it as part of their story without mentioning where it originated certainly leaves the reader with the impression that it was photographed at the site contemporaneous to the video.

UPDATE III: During the replay of the video shown by ABC, I saw one seal that ended in either '86' or '66', which wouldn't match the IAEA report from January 2003.

Anybody have anything to add? Maybe our EOD guys or anyone who was deployed there?

Posted: 10/29/2004 11:51:18 AM EDT

[#1]

Man this story is just falling apart big time. I have been at work and come home and find on FOXNEWS.com a Major from the Army saying they removed 250 tons of munitions and now this. I guess Kerry is not talking about this anymore, in fact Shep on Fox News said a Kerry official said they had 'won" the issue so there was no need to talk about anymore

Posted: 10/29/2004 11:52:28 AM EDT

[#2]

Won the issue, I like that.

Posted: 10/29/2004 12:02:35 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
Won the issue, I like that.

Truth is irrelevant to these people. Victory and power are everything. And it's only going to get worse.

Posted: 10/29/2004 12:04:29 PM EDT

[#4]

Big story and it might help swing the swingers.

Posted: 10/29/2004 12:27:05 PM EDT

[#5]

talk it up people!

Posted: 10/29/2004 12:38:09 PM EDT

[#6]

Moving the explosives to Syria or the Bekaa Valley makes perfect sense and follows the previous efforts and motivations of Saddam. He moved the jets to Iran before the Gulf War and he's looted the treasury and moved those funds to foreign banks. These explosives are possibly more valuable to terrorists than a nuclear weapon that they would be reluctant to use (for all it's attendent negative perceptions, even in the Arab world), thus they have become coin of the realm.

The economic ties of Russia with Iraq make them less than reliable in their denials. Syria unquestionably would abet this and the Bekaa Valley seems to be the equivalent to Mordor, a dark impenetrable place.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - IAEA Seals from Captainsquartersblog.com

General » General Discussion

Win a FREE Membership!

Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!

You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us