Ray Robison: Pointing out the obvious to the oblivious

Hi UK Guardian/Lemonde readers- here's what you missed

The al-Quds document.

Recently, New York Times reporter Scott Shane interviewed me for an article concerning the release of Saddam Regime documents to the public. The article entitled Iraq Documents Are Put on Web, and Search Is On gave several generic quotes of intelligence officials stating that the new documents would reveal nothing. I can only assume that Scott Shane missed Condi Rice on the news commenting on the newly released documents that showed the Russian ambassador gave U.S. troop strength and our maneuver plans to Iraq. So “nothing new” is demonstrated to be incorrect.

As well he focused on a headline to one of my articles describing what I call the al-Quds document, IZSP-2003-00003336. In the article, I claimed that this document demonstrated that Saddam had planned to give anthrax to al-Quds, Palestinians living in Iraq and fighting for Saddam, and that they were to use it against Iraqis to implicate the U.S. in a WMD attack.

Scott did not provide any expert testimony specific to this document, or even one point of my analysis but dismissed it out of hand based no doubt on his vast experience working with documents captured in Iraq.
He says:

But the anthrax document that intrigued Mr. Robison, the Alabama blogger, does not seem to prove much. It is a message from the Quds Army, a regional militia created by Mr. Hussein, to Iraqi military intelligence that passes on reports picked up by troops, possibly from the radio,  since the information is labeled "open source" and "impaired broadcast." No anthrax was found in Iraq by American search teams.

First let me point out, Scott could not get one expert to dispute my finding so he substitutes his own conclusions. Aren’t journalists supposed to report and not make judgments in the articles? But more than that, he couches his own conclusion among the generic statements of intelligence officials to give the reader the impression that the conclusion is from an expert, not his own (conceding of course that he must be an expert since he quoted himself in the article).

Now far be it from me to challenge his obvious expertise in the field when I can only bring the expertise of 13 year army experience as an officer in the field artillery and signal corps, Gulf War and Kosovo operations and the year I spent working with the Iraq Survey Group analyzing and processing these documents, but I will try.
This is the al-Quds document translation that was posted by FMSO:

                                                                            Secret

                                                        To: the general military intelligence directorate
                                                        Subject: information
March 11, 2003

The al-Quds liberation army division supplied us with information (open source) (impaired broadcast) as follows

1.    The Iraqi government will distribute the same leaflets that the American forces are distributing but it will contain anthrax.
2.    Iraq imports uniforms resembling American forces uniforms for the purpose of killing Iraqi citizens because the American forces had killed the innocent sons of the Iraqi people.
3.    Dig trenches around the city of Baghdad and set up oil barrels and derivatives for the purpose of burning and causing mayhem the city of Baghdad as Iraq did in Kuwait.
4.    Diplomats are leaving Iraq and Russia says that it has already taken out its representatives from inside Iraq.
5.    There is a rumor that some of the children of ministers and high ranking commerce people left Iraq for Russia.

Request review…with regards

Director of the al-Quds Army Intelligence Organization.

Scott makes this point;
“that passes on reports picked up by troops, possibly from the radio, since the information is  labeled "open source" and "impaired broadcast."

Basically Scott (and others) has classified this as rumor reporting. These are not just rumors. This is a recitation of a plan. It is called a brief back in U.S. army operations and is usually done at a coordination meeting for an operation. How can I determine this?

Well Scott says the U.S. forces found no anthrax. So let’s use his logic to examine the document. If it is not a plan and is all rumors then there should be no evidence to support the other statements.

Line two talks of Iraqi soldiers dressing in U.S. uniforms and killing Iraqis. The obvious point of this would be to stage a U.S. massacre. So did it happen?

From The Heritage Foundation
Iraq’s Actions
Defense officials have received accounts of Special Republican Guard troops and Fedayeen forces dressing in U.S. military uniforms, accepting the surrender of other Iraqi forces, and then executing those soldiers that surrendered.

So it would appear that this “rumor” happened just as predicted.

Line three talks about digging trenches around Baghdad, filling them with oil and setting it on fire. This is to create the image of a city being burned to the ground to again implicate the U.S. in a massacre.

Did it happen? This is from a well known Iraqi blogger: Where is Raed
    Monday, March 24, 2003            
    4:30pm (day3)

half an hour ago the oil filled trenches were put on fire. First watching Al-jazeera they said that     these were the places that got hit by bombs from an air raid a few miniutes earlier bit when I went up to the roof to take a look I saw that there were too many of them, we heard only three  explosions. I took pictures of the nearest. My cousine came and told me he saw police cars standing by one and setting it on fire. Now you can see the columns of smoke all over the city.

And from a CNN transcript
        March 25th, 2003
        BROWN:  Just go back to the first one, the picture with the smoke.
        KAGAN:  All right.
        BROWN:  What is that?  Is that an oil trench burning?  Do we know what that is that's causing all that smoke?
        KAGAN: They're talking about oil fires ringing the city, talking about defense of incoming U.S. missiles and bombs. I think this is -- yes, the trenches that were dug around Baghdad.

Thus we have a second “rumor” that happened just as stated by the al-Quds intelligence document.

The fifth line is clearly labeled as rumor, which shows that a distinction has been made about that line from the other lines thereby demonstrating that the others are not rumor reporting.

Also released by the FMSO is another document translated by the Free Republic and described thusly:

In this Iraqi document ISGQ 2004-00224003 dated February 7 2001, there was a discussion in upper echelon of the Iraqi intelligence about mass graves in Southern Iraq and how to shift the blame to the Coalition forces and make it look like these mass graves as the results massacres committed by the Coalition forces back in 1991 during Desert Storm Operation.

When you read the translation it is clear that the mechanism of death was to be portrayed as radiation (undoubtedly a product of the ridiculous notion that Depleted Uranium would cause massive deaths) to implicate the U.S. in a WMD attack (radioactive) against Iraqis. This document demonstrates the exact modus operandi that is demonstrated in the al-Quds document.

Scott’s logic is also faulty because the “impaired broadcast” can easily be the mechanism of transmission of this report and not the way that the information was originally derived.
The “open source” is most likely a generic term to keep from stating who specifically was to carry out these acts. It is a subterfuge. If the information was obtained “open source” then there is no reason to make the document secret. Who are they keeping it secret from? It is already “open source”.

So to summarize, two of the three statements of fact stated as actions by “the Iraqi Government’ or “Iraq” are demonstrated to have been carried out. I don’t know about Scott, but my meager experience tells me that when you say certain events will happen in a secret document and those events happen two out of three times, I call that a plan, not a rumor. And that plan was for the Iraqi government to give foreign fighters anthrax. This is the exact scenario that President Bush warned about. I suspect that is Scott' true motivation for his pathetic attempt at analysis.

Make sure you visit the "Iraq Documents articles" under catagory to see what else is "nothing new".

UPDATE: Previously I posted an interview with intelligence analyst:

Ryan Mauro
Author, "Death to America: The Unreported Battle of Iraq"
Analyst, Northeast Intelligence Network and Tactical Defense Concepts
Founder, WorldThreats.com

Brian has written me to lend support to my conclusions concerning the al-Quds documents. Now to anyone who has worked with an intel professional before, you know that getting them to make a declarative statement concerning an item of interest absent a full analysis from several sources is well, near impossible. So Ryan must feel confident as he has said:

"The document proves that the Al-Quds Army believed they were in possession of anthrax, and apparently planned to give out leaflets contaminated with the substance; leaflets identical to the ones American forces were handing out. Hopefully, documents due to come out in the near future will shed light on if the Iraqis successfully carried out this plan."

UPDATE: In the comments section, a reader told me that the translation provided by the FMSO was incorrect. I considered at the time that this might be true, but I decided to wait until I could talk to Sammi about it. Sammi agrees that the translation was bad and that it does change the analysis and the conclusions completely. Which is why I am really glad I said in the original article: "Unless we see a translation that is different".

With the new wording of "Radio Sawa" to replace "impaired broadcast" it becomes clear that the memo is about broadcasts from a radio station.

A bad translation is always possible but I reasoned that a translation that was used for a study (as I believe most of the early release documents were) would be vetted. It was not.

So moving forward, I hope and expect my readers will take the time to inform me of incorrect translations, or facts that I have wrong. If I had totally dismissed the readers objections, I would not have deferred the matter to Sammi. I do listen to what you all have to say and I appreciate informed comment much more than you may think. If you tell me something, refrain from embellishing other facts to make your point. The reader also told me that radio Sawa was a propagandist tool of the U.S.. Sammi says this is not accurate. This incorrect labelling of the radio station made it more difficult to understand the reader's reasoning based on the fact that the rumors would have been counterproductive to U.S. propaganda efforts.

I still have some questions about why these rumors were so accurate. It seems to me as I suggested yesterday, the al-Quds may have picked out the ones that they knew were accurate to report. But although this document is suggestive, it is not conclusive and certainly not the smoking gun.

As to Scott Shane, this does not absolve him from the low standard of ethical journalism he displayed by writing his conclusions in the article. It also does not excuse him of not bothering to give any of my reasoning (despite the fact we talked for almost an hour) or extensive background when he pitted me against anonymous intelligence professionals. But it does demonstrate sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. But Scott will find out the luck may win battles, but not wars. And the war to get the truth out based on the Iraqis own documents has just begun.

UPDATE: Reader Brett brought this article to my attention.

By Richard Whittle, The Dallas Morning News

Anti-Hussein messages, secret missions part of psychological warfare

excerpt

U.S. military planners assume that Iraq's Republican Guard and the Special Republican Guard that protects President Saddam Hussein will fight. But based on the waves of regular Iraqi soldiers who surrendered during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, they hope to induce as many as possible to do the same again.
"The leaflets, the broadcasts, are to try to get; if there is a conflict; to keep the worst case from happening," Gen. Myers said.
"Apparently they're having some effect," he added, "because we understand the Iraqi regime tells the populace that these leaflets are coated with chemicals and are actually out there picking them up with chemical suits on and gloves."

 

Saddam's Vice President meeting with a Taliban representative

Sammi has completed a partial translation of the document at the FMSO website ISGP-2003-00014127. This translation is from the first meeting and involves the Vice President of Iraq under Saddam and a Pakistani cleric who appears to speak for the Taliban, but not clear if he is a taliban official. As usual, the parenthisis are from the translator.

Translator’s notes:
-The diary is 76 pages on the computer screen. Many screens cover 2 pages in the diary.  -The diary belongs to someone called Khaled Abd El Majid and covers events taking place in 1999 since the diary is for the year 1999 (Page 3/76).
-On page 5/76 he has a note reminding him of a “Meeting with Mr. Taha Yassin Ramadan” with the house’s phone number. Ramadan is the vice-president of Iraq from March 1991 to the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
- There are two important meetings with a Pakistan cleric named Fadl Ur Rahman. His plan is to establish relations between Baghdad and the Taliban. The second meeting is taking place on 28/11/1999.
-The diary is hand written which makes it sometimes difficult to read.
-Since Arabic is written from right to left, the meeting starts on page 25/76 and ends on page 21/76.

This is the translation of the first meeting.

Meeting of Mr. Vice-President with the Pakistani Fadl Ur Rahman
Location: Office of Mr. Vice-President in Zakoura
Date: Sunday 10:30 AM
Present:- Mr. Vice-President, Maulana Fadl Ur Rahman, Taher Krichi (family name not very clear), Jamal Abdul Razzak .

Meeting session:

Words of welcoming.

-Questions about the situation in Afghanistan
-Fadl Ur Rahman: Good and the Pakistani people has come together to struggle against
      America.
- Vice-President: The new humanitarian method of human rights of the American people  in the United Nations
- Fadl Ur Rahman:  What is happening in Afghanistan is a violation of the human rights of this country, where Osama Ben Laden is one person and the fate of millions cannot be tied to him. (translator’s note: Probably at that time the US is forcing sanctions or pressures on Afghanistan because it is providing sanctuary to him)

- Vice-President: The American method is clear. First I discover many times some Islamic organizations which are not themselves and Islam is innocent from them. Those could be a cover for the American deviation like Kosovo. Muslims are known where they are and America is one of the fiercest enemies of Islam. Muslims in Palestine are slaughtered and they support the Jews, but they were provided this cover. America wants to control the world through human rights (unclear word but could be democracy) and multiple parties so it can form collaborating parties and create unrest. Unrest serves America’s purpose.

The Security Council is a tool in the hand of America.
Can you blockade a country because of the presence of one man. This time she (America) got the resolution from the Security Council and it is number 77 (or 771) relative to Iraq. And it is the first time that the parliament of a country (Congress) speaks after a resolution (unclear) and comes out through the Security Council.
-    It is ignorant to send memos and complain to the Security Council because it is a tool in the hands of America the master of oppression and if we do that it does not mean that we are boycotting the diplomatic process.

Also the monetary fund is in the hand of America and she helps according to her interests.
My personal stand is with his (translator’s note: Could “his” refer to Ben Laden?) call to fight America.

-(Probably the Pakistani) I support him body and soul and if it is true (translator’s note: probably referring to the “call to fight America”) then it is the right thing to do.

-(Probably the Pakistani) I personally do not know him and never met him (translator’s note: Could “him” refer to Ben Laden?) and he is not the issue. There is the port of Gwadar (in Baluchistan area) under construction in Pakistan and Europe and America want to use it instead of Bankham to trade with Asia. After the fall of the Soviet Union they wish to expand trade to Central Asia through Afghanistan and Afghanistan is against their wishes and they want to bring the Taliban government down.

Vice-President: They are controlling Turkey.
Fadl Ur Rahman: Gwadar is the shortest road for them and we spoke with the Afghani government. I met Mullah Omar the leader of Afghanistan and he welcomed the establishment of Islamic relations with Iraq and (unclear) to tell them about our needs and they would like to have contacts with Russia but they feel that the Russians (unclear) with Afghanistan, they go to America. And they say that now we do not feel that Russia is our enemy and we do not know why they support the Northern Alliance. They want Iraq to intervene with Russia.
And Russia thinks that the Taliban are supporting the Chechens through providing them 5 Million dollars in weapons so the question is from where do they have all this money and weapons and they want Iraq to know their problems and needs.
Concerning Hekmatyar I delivered him your letter and his reply was positive for “they are our brothers”. But in this case the news from Hekmatyar is that he still has contacts against us so how can we have trust between each others. We wish to see Afghanistan as an independent country. We will basically agree with them and later the details will come after Afghanistan is under our control. His (Hekmatyar) answer was positive and he thanks Iraq for its role in this matter.

Vice-President: Afghanistan has a domestic issue but now we have some insight about it and we feel pain for what is happening. Iraq is the first country which objected to Russia’s entering Afghanistan with a “liberating” message, and is this the way you (Russians) are going to deal with the countries you have a friendship agreement with? The Russians were not happy about the message we sent them. Most important is that the situation settles in Afghanistan and that the bleeding between brothers stops. It is better that Afghanistan solves his own problems and not depend on foreign countries.

The right side of page 23/76 deals with afghani politics and the necessity that all parties agree.
(Translator’s note: At one point someone, most probably the Pakistani says: “I support that Afghanistan and the Taliban, from a religious stand point, do not hand over Ben Laden”. Therefore this meeting is taking place after the US wanted Ben Laden handed over, probably after the 2 embassy attacks in Africa.)
(Translator’s note: At the end of this right side someone says that the agreement between afghani parties should not be delayed because the US policy is to keep the world in trouble.)
The left side of page 23/76 deals with Pakistan, Nawaz Sherif and the close ties of the Pakistani military with the Talibans, the military coup of Musharraf.

Page 22/76 is also about Pakistani politics. Both the Vice-President and the Pakistani cleric agree on bashing America and the Commonwealth, the Vice-President says that Iraq will not accept any UN resolution which does not make things easier for Iraq.

Page 21/76 right side: Talks about future relations between Iraq and Pakistan.
At the end of the page:
Fadl Ur Rahman:  One more time concerning Afghanistan I have a suggestion that a delegation should visit Kandahar and a schedule should be set concerning this issue (translator’s note: issue refers to visit)
Vice-President: we will study this in the future.

Page 21/76 left side, top.
Vice-President: Last time you saw Mullah Omar
Fadl Ur Rahman: Last July and I proposed to him the subject that I was assigned to and I  wanted to  meet  Mr. President. (Saddam Hussein)
Vice-President: I gave Mr. President an overview about Afghanistan and its issues.

Salutes.

Translator’s notes: This Pakistani cleric is the subject of a second meeting in the diary. In the second meeting (starting on page 20/76) he says that the idea of a relationship between the Taliban and Baghdad was his. Moreover from page 20/76 we can be sure that Mr. Vice-President is the Vice-President of Saddam Hussein. (Translation to follow).

All original tranlsations by "Sammi" are copyrighted intellectual property of "Sammi" for purposes of print media publishing. Free use for internet sources.

Jveritas on Iraq mass graves/ Sammi on Journal

Free Republic - hat tip to Jeff

Saddam Regime Document: Give CNN the Priority for Coverage (Translation)
Pentagon/FMSO website about Iraqi Pre-War documents ^ | March 26 2006 | jveritas

Posted on 03/26/2006 6:42:20 PM PST by jveritas

In this Iraqi document ISGQ 2004-00224003 dated February 7 2001, there was a discussion in upper echelon of the Iraqi intelligence about mass graves in Southern Iraq and how to shift the blame to the Coalition forces and make it look like these mass graves as the results massacres committed by the Coalition forces back in 1991 during Desert Storm Operation. What is also interesting about this document is that it mentions how to give the priority of covering the story to CNN so it will have an effect on the international arena as the documents says.

Sammi, our "in house" translator is reading a journal of a Taliban collaborator (my mistake) Iraq intelligence officer (I am assuming IIS), I assume from Afghanistan, but could have been brought to Iraq by Mujahedeen. Here is the gist:

I have gone through the 76 pages of the diary.
There are meetings (in 1999) with a pakistani islamist leader discussing the situation in Afghanistan.
The meetings are taking place because the Iraqis want to gather support with those islamists since the Iraqi situation should attract the attention of the muslim world. The islamist are ready to support Iraq against the Americans. Both have a common enemy: the US.
The iraqis are interested in establishing contacts with the Taliban government since for them they represent the will of the Afghani people. But the paki cleric is complaining about the struggle against Hikmatyar, the pressures of Russia (he hopes Iraq can act as middleman to try to ease Russia's pressure against them, but Russia is weary of the support Chechnian rebels are getting).
There are also talks about islamic leaders in Pakistan and Bengladesh ready to organize demonstrations against UN decisions against Iraq. Lots of questions about Pakistani politics.

Osama is mentioned but he is not (for the Iraqis) the subject of the meeting.

The Paki cleric is not a taliban but he has contacts with them. You get the idea that Iraqis want all afghani factions to come to an agreement. It seems that Iraq is "selling" his cause with every islamic faction in the world since both of them have the same enemy.

Sammi is doing a partial translation. I will get it to you all as soon as he is done.

I recall one the translations from the tapes in which Saddam discussed Islamic governments. He described them as being unable to rule because they go to far into religion. But he didn't discuss them with the repugnance or disgust the left would have you believe would keep him from working with them OUTSIDE of Iraq. It just wasn't there. Saddam saw Mujahedeen as a tool for use outside of Iraq and a threat inside Iraq unless controlled in training camps and field offices.

jveritas is famous!

The Free Republic has been a leader in geting out the Saddam document translations. A translator by the screen name jveritas was the first one to translate the OBL meeting with the IIS in 1995 document.

This from the Telegraph:

    

The papers have been translated by Arabic-speaking members of Free Republic, a conservative internet discussion forum that believes the documents will justify British and American claims that Saddam had made Iraq a haven for terrorists.

Way to go jveritas and the Free Republic!

This may not be the document dump

When the Foreign Military Studies Office began posting the Iraq documents last Friday, something struck me as odd. Much of the work done to archive these documents was administered by the Defense Intelligence Agency. I had assumed that if these documents were released, it would come from DIA. So I was puzzled that the FMSO was handling the release. Now I understand why. Print media reports are coming out now such as this article in the Washington times.   

It seems much of these documents are the basis for new reports coming out from DoD. So these documents have been reviewed.

The thing to keep in mind, is that pieces of the documents are included in the reports, but there are matters of importance that do not necessarily fit into the scope of the study and may not be in the reports. For instance, I still have not seen any reference in the media to Saddam admitting to using chemical weapons on the Iranians as we reported here.

While I am glad the DoD released these documents, there may not be that many. I have no idea how many of these the FMSO has "in house".  I don't know if they have access to the Harmony database or if they have been directed to release all the ISG documents or only the ones they have used for the reports.

What I am concerned about is that the FMSO might only have a couple of hundred of the documents and then we won't get anymore because the public's appetite has been satiated. Just a thought...

P.S. NYT article about our work is running on Monday. I hope they didn't see the article in the "worst things said" category about the NYT release of specific body armor weaknesses, at least not until after publication :^)

FUAP!

The AP has this scathing report about Russia giving U.S. war plans to Iraq. MSNBC

WASHINGTON - In his struggle to figure out and foil the American invasion plan as it was unfolding in late March and early April 2003, Saddam Hussein may have fielded a few tips from an old ally: the Russian government.

May have fielded a few tips? WTF AP? Whose f'ning side are you on? They gave Iraq the U.S. troop strength and maneuver plan (whether it was accurate it or not, and parts of it were accurate). That's like saying "here, take this so you can kill more American boys and girls". Don't you f'ning aholes at the AP get that?

A few tips? This on the heels of the "poor Saddam" story from last week? Sammi and I have revealed on this website during the last week that:

Saddam (for the first time ever) admitted to gassing the Iranians. No AP...

Saddam told his ministers that because they lied about gassing the Iranians they could never achieve the accountability required to meet the UN obligations in order to lift the sanctions. No AP...

BOTH OF THESE IMPORTANT REVELATIONS ARE ON TAPE AND COULD BE EASILY REVIEWED AND REPORTED ON BY THE AP.

But they are too busy doing "poor Saddam" stories and now the "a few tips" disgrace to go with it.

Also this week:

Iraq military scientists discuss transfer of plasma technology. Right when the scientist is going to say where it will be transferred to, the microphone is cut off. ON TAPE

In 2002, Saddam and his ministers discuss the arrest of three German scientists (who worked on the Iraq nuclear program) and say Iraq will now have to tell the UN whatever those men already may have told them. ON TAPE

An Iraq official meeting with Saddam admitting that they paid Russia off. ON TAPE

A secret letter from a Palestinian military group (in Iraq working for Saddam) to the Iraq Intelligence Service telling them that:

The Iraqi government will disperse anthrax in leaflets that resemble ones dropped by Americans.
That Iraq will import US style uniforms to kill Iraqis.

Secret Iraqi documents describes Russian and Turkish scientists hiding from UN inspectors in the Badr facility known for nuclear weapons development in December, 2002, right when Saddam was complaining on video that they were not hiding anything (as the AP so diligently reported).

Saddam agreed to establish Kurdistan as a last minute attempt to secure the North.

BUT THE AP DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR THESE STORIES BECAUSE IT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO RUN "POOR SADDAM" STORIES AND "A FEW TIPS" STORIES!!!

Oh, and of course, there is nothing new in these documents. The FMSO released the "Russian giving Iraq U.S. intel" documents, then the story shows up all over the media, but there is nothing new in these documents. The AP sucks!

 

 

 

 

Russian scientists in Iraq hide during surprise U.N. inspection

WOW! Sammi found this at the FMSO database of the newly released Iraq Regime documents. It details Iraqi efforts to monitor a U.N. inspection team, break into their personal briefcases (actually says it was complained about but not that they did it), and hide Russian and Turkish scientists. As usual, the parentheses are the translators. (PDF)CMPC-2003-000776

 

        Mr. General Director of the Office of National Supervision

Subject: Visit of the IAEA team

A team of the IAEA did a SURPRISE (translator’s emphasis) visit today, on the 15th of December 2002, to
1) Oumm Al Maarek Company (Mother of all battles Company)
2) Al Qadessia Company
3) Badr Company

The agency’s team consisted of two cars and 6 members:
1-    Philip Coalfield, team leader, English
2-    Greg Lavender, English
3-    Thomas Moriati, English
4-    Franck (family name unclear), American
5-    Roy (or Ron) (family name unclear), American
6-    Kenneth Phyllis, Ecuadorian

They left Al Qanat hotel at 8:25 and here follows what time they reached the companies and what they did:

1)    Oumm Al Maarek company:
The team arrived at 8:55 and did the following
1-    Met with the director’s assistant (liaison member) and inquired about all the new buildings (after 1998) and their activities. Then focused on all the mechanical operations done by the company for the 81 millimeter (mm) rocket.
2-    Visit the sites containing the manufacturing machines and the steps involved in the production of the 81 mm rocket. They also requested technical drawings for the rocket (copy enclosed with the report).
3-    General tour in the factory and checking of the machines, especially the ones imported after 1998 and making a list of equipment present in the Central lab of measurement.
The inspection finished at 11:45 and they headed to Al Qadessia.

2)    Al Qadessia company:
The team arrived at 11:52 and from the gate one of the cars left towards the hotel with 3 inspectors: Coalfield, Franck and Phyllis.
1-    They visited the company’s factories and its shops, checked its                          machineries and made sure the machineries present corresponded to the agency’s lists and checked the newly imported machinery (type CNC, 5 pieces) which is not covered by the inspection scope.
The visit ended at 12:55 and all headed to Badr company.

3)    Badr company:
Team arrived at 13:00 and visited:
1-    Machinery production factory
2-    Shaping factory (Cold method)
3-    Central laboratory for quality control
4-    Building of precision manufacturing
All the old machinery was inspected along with the seals of the double purpose machinery. They also inspected the newly imported machinery, which were not included in the supervision program (except one disclosed in the biannual report).
During this visit signs were put on a large number of new machinery. They totaled 52 and in the building of precision manufacturing 34.
Inspection visit ended at 14:45 and hotel arrival was at 15:15.

Remarks:
1-    I was informed by the team leader (Coalfield) that during the past days two clothing suitcases belonging to inspector Greg Lavender and the inspector (probably Coalfield: translator’s note) were broken into and their contents dispersed. They informed the hotel who promised to buy them new ones. But for the inspector the problem is not with the suitcases but the infraction and he does not want to make a problem but requests that this infraction be stopped.
2-    When we visited Badr company there were Turkish and Russian experts at the site and they had to hide away from the inspectors. We demand your (General Director of the Office of National Supervision: translator’s note) instructions for what to do in case there is a face to face between the agency’s inspectors and the experts.
3-    During his meeting with the general director of Badr company the team focused on how the new machinery is being imported. The director told them that it is advertised in the newspaper and middlemen or equipment agencies apply for the bid. He also told them that the equipment agency for Badr company is Al Ariqa company.
4-    A copy of the special instructions for dealing with journalists was given to the director of Oumm Al Maarek company.

Respectfully,

Enclosed: 2 copies of technical drawing (Most probably for the 81mm rocket)
1st signature: Major Ahmad Ibrahim  Operations officer.
2nd signature: Not clear.

Translator’s notes:
1)    Document CMPC-2003-000776 is made of two reports each one made of two pages, dated 15th December 2002 and 16th December 2002.
2)     The first report dated 15th December 2002 is the one I translated. It is interesting for two reasons:  1- It was a surprise visit, therefore the Russian and Turkish experts had to be hidden, and whoever wrote the report is requesting instructions on what to do if the agency’s team comes unexpectedly face to face with them. 2- The breaking in of the suitcases of the inspectors at the hotel. (Was this incident reported at the time? If not, could it be that the Agency intended to show that Iraqis are fully cooperating and had nothing to hide?)
3)    The second report also details every move of the team from leaving the hotel to coming back to it. It was not a surprise visit.
4)    Whoever scanned the documents made a small mistake. On the computer screen page 2 of every report appears before the first page.
5)    Unlike previous typed or nicely written documents, this one was probably rapidly hand written. That is why I could not fully grasp the names of the American inspectors.

 

Note this is within four months of the start of the war and "poor Saddam" (who the AP reported as frustrated because he was so honest about having no weapons) has Russian experts hiding from U.N. teams. Nice job AP, that is some cutting edge reporting. How is it a clown like me and a dedicated volunteer linguist can find this stuff and the media can't?

globalsecurity.org  has a detailed aticle on this inspection. The Badr facility:

"The inspectors then went to the Badr General Company (MIO) and visited the factory and a mold plant, the ministry stated. UNMOVIC stated that the Badr Company was previously involved in the centrifuge program prior to 1991. All three sites are said to have "dual-use" machine tools by the UN."

Now what was that Condi Rice said about centrifuges?

UPDATE: The CIA has an Iraq WMD timeline here.

Note that Saddam published another declaration to the U.N. in December, 2002. I wonder if that report included hiding Russian scientists at a facility used to create centrifuges for nuclear production. Poor, poor Saddam, hunh AP? Soooooooo mistreated....

UPDATE: From the BBC November, 2002

In 2000, Mr Hamza wrote Saddam's Bomb Maker - an autobiographical account outlining his role in the Iraqi weapons programme.

 

In the book, Mr Hamza concluded that the best way to ensure that Saddam Hussein was blocked from developing WMD was to stop Russian scientists entering Iraq and help Iraqi scientists escape.

UPDATE: From the UK Guardian September 22, 2002 about the Badr facility (where the scientists were hiding)

With Iraq's capitulation to the allied forces, Badr - like the State Enterprise for Heavy Equipment Engineering and dozens of other enterprises run under the auspices of the Ministry for Military Industrialisation - was supposed to be closed down and monitored under the UN ceasefire resolutions designed to dismantle Iraq's ability to retain, design and build weapons of mass destruction.

But the scientists and managers from Badr had different orders from Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. What they have been up to goes to the heart of US and UK concern that Saddam has been trying to assemble the expertise and materials to build weapons of mass destruction, for the men from Badr turned up at a factory in Minsk in the former Soviet republic of Belarus.The Iraqi delegation that arrived at the Belstroyimpex headquarters in July 1995 was a high-powered one, travelling under the aegis of the Badr General Establishment.

They carried a shopping list of high-specification machine tools, including diamond cutters, a powder-metal production line and a plasma-spray machine - all potentially components for nuclear weapons and a ballistic-missiles programme. The delegation was careful to cover its tracks, keeping the visit and the deals signed secret from the UN. Iraq went to greater lengths still to hide these purchases from the UN sanctions regime, smuggling them into Iraq via the Jordanian free port of Aqaba, and trying to hide the equipment once it reached Iraq.

All original tranlsations by "Sammi" are copyrighted intellectual property of "Sammi" for purposes of print media publishing. Free use for internet sources.

Russia provides Saddam with U.S. military strength at start of Iraq War

For the second day in a row, as we were "going to press" ABC News  put a gist of a newly released Iraq Regime document on their website. But again Sammi provides a full translation of the document CMPC-2003-001950. Parenthesis are the translators: (PDF) CMPC-2003-001950

                                                Office of the Presidency
                                                Mr. Secretary (of the President)

Subject: Meeting with the Russian Ambassador

Best of our salutes,

We would like to inform you that the Russian ambassador met this evening with the general director of Foreign Economic Relations and the General Director of the Grains Trade and told us the following:

1-    Provide the necessary facilitations for the travel of the Russian experts working in the projects of our ministry (probably grains or trade experts) without any delay for the period of time between the 5th and 8th of March. The last plane will take off on the 9th of March. He mentioned (the ambassador) that the request of evacuating the Russian citizens follows an order from the Russian president.

2-    He said that Russia, France and Germany and both Syria and China were expected to join the three of them, have prepared a project of resolution opposing the Anglo-American project submitted to the United Nations. Voting on both projects will take place on the 9th of March. He pointed that some countries of the Security Council might refrain from voting, like Pakistan, Chili and Kenya.

3-    During the meeting the ambassador gave us the following information about the US military presence in the Gulf as per the 2nd of March:

Number of troops: 206,500 out of which 98,000 naval forces and 36,500
    infantry.  90% of theses forces are in Kuwait and on the Navy ships.

US troops have reached the island of Bubiyan (Bubiyan is largest Kuwaiti island in the Kuwaiti coastal islands chain)

Number of tanks: 480
Number of armored cars: 1132
Number of artillery: 296
Number of Apache helicopters : 735
Number of fighter planes: 871
Number of Navy ships: 106.  68 in the Gulf and the rest in Oman         (State of Oman), Aden (Yemen), the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Number of air carriers: 5. One nuclear powered. Three in the Gulf one in the Mediterranean and one on its way.
Number of Cruise missiles: 583 based on the US Navy and distributed on 22 ships.
Number of Cruise missiles on planes: 64
Number of heavy bombers B-52 H: 10 in the Indian Ocean.
Number of B1-B: 8 present in the US base of Thumarid in Oman.                                                                                                         

4-    The ambassador pointed that what worried us (most probably “us” refers to the Russians) was the increase in the number of planes in Jordan where the number of planes in Al Sallt base was as follows:
24 planes F-16
10 planes Tornado
11 planes Harrier
He also mentioned that there were 10 A-10 tank destroyers in the Jordanian base of King Faysal.

5-    The ambassador also pointed that a certain number of the 82nd Division (82nd Airborne) which was deployed in Afghanistan started coming to Kuwait. The number of troops has reached 750 soldiers.

Translator’s note: The original Iraqi document is made of four pages. The released document shows only three pages. It is not improbable that the fourth page could have been lost or might show up in a different release.

Ray: This one seriously doesn't require any analysis. It speaks volumes about our "friends" the Russians.

All original tranlsations by "Sammi" are copyrighted intellectual property of "Sammi" for purposes of print media publishing. Free use for internet sources.

Saddam document details WMD scrub

Today, ABC News released an article detailing some of the newly released Iraq documents. Coincidentally, I had asked Sammi to translate one of these documents for us. ABC News, who I berated here for the "Saddam Tapes" report, seems to have done a good job here. The originial document is here (PDF) document number ISGZ-2004-028947.

Document dated March 23, 1997

A letter from the Iraqi intelligence service to directors and managers advising them to follow certain procedures in case of a search by the U.N. team, including:

Removing correspondence with the atomic energy and military industry departments concerning the prohibited weapons (proposals, research, studies, catalogs, etc.).
Removing prohibited materials and equipment, including documents and catalogs and making sure to clear labs and storages of any traces of chemical or biological materials that were previously used or stored.
Doing so through a committee which will decide whether to destroy the documents.
Removing files from computers.  

The letter also advises them on how they should answer questions by U.N. team members. It says the intelligence service should be informed within one week about the progress made in discarding the documents.

(Editor's Note: This document is consistent with the Report of the Special Advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence, which described a pattern of deception and concealment on the part of Saddam Hussein's government towards the U.N. inspectors in the mid to late 90's. Hussein halted all cooperation with those inspectors and expelled them in October 1998.)

Any time you work with a "gist" of a translation, there is a risk that context will be missed. This is the full translation that Sammi performed. The parenthesis are his and the horrible formatting is mine.

IRAQI                                                                                                                 REPUBLIC OF IRAQ
INTELLIGENCE                        
SERVICE                                      Secret, private and immediate

Date: 23rd of March 1997

                                                 To the respected general directors

It came to our attention that during the inspection of the directorate’s headquarter (most probably the HQ of Iraqi intelligence) by UN team (No 182) that they inquired about some of the matters related to the symbols of some directorates and their modus operandi. They were also inquiring about the activities (scope of work) of those directorates and were trying to find a link between their intelligence work and the nation’s (Iraq) activity in the military industry sector. In the purpose of preventing future (UN) teams, from establishing this link, and in case they search the service’s headquarter or regional directorates we found that it was necessary to be prepared to execute the following instructions as follows:
1-    Review the archive and files and remove any letters (written communication), with the atomic agency, the office of military manufacturing or stations (offices) and directorates, related to forbidden weapons (Bids, research, studies, catalogues, tests, guest experts….etc.)
2-    Removal and disposal of documents and reports related to the follow up of  the special committee and investigation teams (most probably the UN) along with all letters (written communications) related to them (UN) that were sent to the different directorates.
3-    Taking away of forbidden and dual purpose materials, systems and equipments along with documents, catalogues and related books from the technical sections and libraries. And ensure the purification of laboratories, storage places (warehouses) and work sites from traces of any chemical, biological or radioactive material that has been previously used or stored.

                                                                (      1  /   2   )

                                                     Secret, private and immediate                                                IRAQI                                                                                                                 REPUBLIC OF IRAQ
INTELLIGENCE                        
SERVICE                                          Secret, private and immediate

4-    The operation of removal or disposal of documents, reports and equipments  takes place through the review of a special committee. This committee provides the necessary approvals for destroying or relocation of those documents, reports and equipments

5-    Implement a constant method in dealing with the members of the inspection teams and never answer only if through a representative of the service in charge. In case they inquire about directorates and formations outside of the (intelligence) service the answer to all questions and inquiries will be general (not precise) since the scope of work is intelligence work (meaning Iraqis are not supposed to answer precisely any question they regard as directly related to their intelligence work). When faced with an inquiry of a secret topic the person in charge should go back to his superiors to have the appropriate answer.
6-    M3 should inspect the computer sites, microfilms and computers along with inspecting the disks and retrieving the memories (probably hard disks) of the computers to transfer any information related to the above (above points) while coordinating with beneficiating parties (probably the different directorates related to the above information) for fear of being targeted in the future (by UN teams inspections).

Proceed with the work of all points mentioned and inform our directorate with what has been achieved in a week’s period since the publication of this notice.

Note: After the completion of all those steps this notice should be returned to our directorate.

Signature of     M    M6

23rd of March 1997

                                                                       2   

                                                  Secret, private and immediate

While parts of this may be suggestive, it is not conclusive. It does beg the question, why did Iraq still have to "relocate" equipment after 6 years of inspections? And why were they afraid of a link being made if they had been so diligent at following the U.N. resolutions as the left would have you believe?  And when you ask that you have to wonder what they could have had after almost four years of no inspections from 1998 until 2002.

Sammi did a great job didn't he folks!

All original tranlsations by "Sammi" are copyrighted intellectual property of "Sammi" for purposes of print media publishing. Free use for internet sources.

Iraq Intelligence and OBL met in 1995

Free Republic

I haven't seen a second confirmation on this translation yet, just wanted to pass it on, thanks for the link Jeff!

UPDATE, I have an Arabic translator who has volunteered to help out, we will call Sammi. Sammi says this translation is well done.

"In the Pentagon/FMSO document ISGZ-2004-009247 there is a clear report about the relation between Iraq and Bin Laden that dated back to 1995. This document contains a 9 page report from the Iraqi Intelligence Apparatus and it is titled “The Saudi Opposition and Achieving the Relation and Contact With Them”. In the report they talk about there meeting with Osama Bin Laden and that Bin Laden in 1995 and how to establish relations wiht him. In the meeting Bin Laden asked the Iraqis for joint operations with them against the Foreign forces (US military) in the land of Hijaz (Saudia or Saudi Arabia)." - jveritas

 

Also, check back tomorrow as Sammi is working up a full trans on what appears to be a hot one. BTW, FoxNews just did a news break and ran the "poor Saddam" story. I knew FoxNews was screwing up when they brought all those CNN rejects over.