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The Weapons of Mass Destruction
There
are many questions regarding Iraq these days. Questions are surfacing
about the looting of billions, missing weapons and missing leaders —
including Saddam Hussein and his family.
As we search for answers, we must ask ourselves whether the war
eliminated the weapons of mass destruction. We must ask ourselves
whether the war effectively undermined the terrorist network threatening
our society, and the world. Despite our decisive military victory,
missing billions, missing weapons, and missing leaders place a
"shadow of doubt" over our success in the war against Iraq.
Complicating the issues surrounding our search for weapons are reports
that Saddam Hussein's son looted $1 billion from a bank. The Washington
Post reported, "the looting of the Iraqi central bank by former
Hussein aides was first reported by the New York Times and confirmed by
the State Department and Treasury Department officials. According to the
Times quoting an Iraqi bank official, the operation was personally
supervised by Hussein's second son, Qusay, who appeared at a bank with a
seizure order signed by Hussein... A further 400 million in US currency
and about 40 million in Iraqi dinars are believed to a been stolen from
Iraqi banks in the looting that coincided with the entry of US forces
into Baghdad on April 9." If the reports are true, there is a
possibility these assets may be spread around the world. Moreover, these
assets can be used in funding terrorist activities.
Reports of looting are further complicated by the discovery of an
audiotape purported to be that of Saddam Hussein. As questions continue
to mount, our mission in post war Iraq is becoming more complicated. If
we are to declare victory, we must find the weapons, the billions and
the leaders. After finding them, the assets must be seized, the leaders
prosecuted, and the weapons destroyed.
Major hostilities may have ended, but one thing remains certain - with
questions surrounding missing billions, weapons and leaders remaining
unanswered, we are far from winning this war.
Stuart F. James
Sjames139@comcast.net
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