Bush Makes Explosive Mistake in Iraq
American Progress
The New York Times reported yesterday that “nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives” are missing
from one of Iraq's “most sensitive former military installations.” The
enormous cache of explosives is unaccounted for and may have fallen
into the hands of terrorists or been used in bombing attacks against
U.S. and Iraqi troops. The White House has thus far been at a loss to
explain how a mistake this egregious was allowed to happen under their
watch: administration officials “say they cannot explain why the
explosives were not safeguarded.” A look at the administration's
mismanagement of post-invasion Iraq offers an explanation, though.
After the invasion of Iraq, the White House failed to safeguard the
large stockpiles of powerful explosives; the administration also failed
to send enough troops to Iraq to quash the post-war insurgency,
resulting in rampant looting.
HMX AND RDX EXPLAINED:
The powerful explosives in question are HMX – high melting point
explosive – and RDX – rapid detonation explosive. HMX and RDX can be
used in bombs which could bring down entire buildings or “shatter” airplanes;
for example, “the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over
Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 used less than a pound of the same type of
material.” The chemical makeup of these explosives make them
“insensitive to shock and physical abuse during handling and
transport,” making it particularly simple to smuggle the munitions to
terrorists.
INTERNATIONAL WATCH WAS WORKING: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) tried to warn the U.S. about the potential danger posed by the explosives and “specifically told United States officials about the need to keep the explosives secured”
after the invasion. The Bush administration, however, refused to allow
the agency back into the country after the invasion to verify the
status of the explosives stockpile.
EXPLOSIVES USEFUL FOR INSURGENTS:
The danger posed by the explosive “is its potential use with insurgents
in very small and powerful devices.” Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for
the IAEA, warns, “Our immediate concern is that if the explosives did
fall into the wrong hands they could be used to commit terrorist acts
and some of the bombings that we've seen.” HMX and RDX are “the key components in plastic explosives, which insurgents have widely used in a series of bloody car bombings in Iraq.”
According to the Nelson Report, cited by Josh Marshall's Talking
Points, “administration officials privately admit this material is
likely a primary source of the lethal car bomb attacks which cause so
many US and Iraqi casualties.”
ADMINISTRATION FAILED TO SECURE KEY FACILITIES:
Explaining the theft in a letter to the IAEA, a senior official from
Iraq's Ministry of Science and Technology wrote the explosives
disappeared because of looting that occurred “due to lack of security.”
The White House has increasingly come under fire for neglecting to send
an adequate number of troops into Iraq to secure the country after the
invasion. Recently, the former head of the Coalition Provisional
Authority, Paul Bremer, charged inadequate military presence after the
invasion allowed rampant looting in Iraq and said the U.S. “paid a big price” for not sending enough troops to secure the peace.
WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?:
Iraqi officials say they warned Bremer in May 2004 that the sensitive
military installation had probably been looted in the immediate
aftermath of the invasion. Note this happened while the United States
was still in command, before the transfer of power to the Iraqis.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice
claims she only found out about the missing explosives within the past
month. The IAEA was only notified – by the Iraqis – a few weeks ago.
According to Talking Points, the Nelson Report reveals the Defense
Department not only may have known about the looting, it may have
exerted pressure on the Iraqis to keep the story quiet.
WHOOPS, WE DID IT AGAIN:
This isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened in Iraq.
Earlier this month, international U.N. weapons inspectors found that sensitive material and equipment had been looted from nuclear facilities in Iraq.
The IAEA had successfully monitored equipment and low-grade uranium at
a plant in Iraq before the invasion. It was forced to leave in March of
2003, however, and the sensitive material was looted and may have found
its way to the black market.
Blog For Iowa 