08:18Iraq: 'US did not find WMDs… but planted their own in those who governed Iraq' - Fmr soldier, nuclear scientist assess legacy of US war
Those from inside Iraq’s military and scientific community gave their thoughts on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the US case for war in Iraq, as well as the lasting impact of the conflict, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the intervention.
"The US troops did not find Weapons of Mass Destruction but were able to plant Weapons of Mass Destruction in the form of these parties and governors who governed Iraq for their own interests and destroyed it more than the occupier did," claimed Jalil Khalaf Shuwail Al-Muhammadawi, a former lieutenant in the Iraqi army.
President George W Bush’s 'war on terror’ was based on Iraq’s supposed possession of actual WMDs, and the threat they posed. UN weapons inspectors were sent in the year before the intervention but found very little.
"The Head of International Inspection Teams declared that Iraq is free of Weapons of Mass Destruction," stated nuclear scientist Hamed Al-Bahli, speaking at the former Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center.
"They had destroyed all facilities … which were earmarked in the 1980s and 1990s for this purpose. Accordingly, he submitted a document stating that Iraq was free of Weapons of Mass Destruction."
Anything that was found - such as empty rockets - was destroyed. Team leader Hans Blix said he thought Saddam Hussein’s apparent evasiveness was more about Iraqi honour.
The then-president did have a history of developing and using chemical weapons in the 1980s and Washington and its allies decided it was a deception - despite subsequent reports that they had either been destroyed or never existed.
"With regard to nuclear weapons, the country was free of such weapons and it was a baseless claim with many errors. Manufacturing nuclear weapons is not an easy matter, but it is very difficult and requires massive capacity and time," Al-Bahli continued.
In March 2003, Bush decided to invade regardless, and attacked the country with airstrikes and ground troops, with a devastating impact.
"This ancient country was destroyed by US and Western machinery and was returned to the Middle Ages, as former foreign minister, James Baker told then Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, 'we will bring you back to the Middle Ages if you proceed with your intransigence'," said Al-Muhammadawi.
Aziz did attribute a similar quote to Baker during an interview. It wasn’t corroborated by the US side, although the consequences of the intervention were clear.
"Everything were devastated," continued the soldier. "Cities, bridges, factories, electric power, and Baghdad and all cities were plundered as well as all the state reserves were looted. Iraq turned into a bare, destitute, destroyed powerless country."
By May that same year, Bush was giving his 'mission accomplished' speech although the US troops remained on the ground. For Al-Muhammadawi, it sowed the seeds of resistance.
"I recall very well when Bush declared his victory publicly, I knew the mission was not accomplished and resistance would emerge because the Iraqi people are patriotic and dignified capable of expelling any coloniser or occupier from their lands," he said.
Resentment only intensified with media reports of US troops abusing Iraqi detainees
in the prison west of Baghdad. Washington claimed they were isolated incidents, while human rights groups alleged they were part of a pattern replicated across the world.
"The scandal that unfolded in the US-controlled Abu Ghraib prison was resounding, shameful. They treated Iraqi prisoners in a way that disgraced American and European civilisation while defending freedom and humane treatment," Al-Muhammadawi stated.
US-organised elections were held in the country in 2005 and Western media outlets reported that many welcomed them after more than two decades of Saddam Hussein.
Al-Muhammadawi claims that they were the US’s own version of 'WMDs'. There’s no suggestion the US tried to influence the results, although contemporary reports point to a large rise in sectarian violence among the disparate groups in the years after, due to a lack of leadership and corruption.
In terms of actual WMDs, the US may have found none, but Hamed Al-Bahli argues their own weaponry had its own lasting impact.
"There were internationally prohibited weapons. containing depleted uranium. … As a result, many people have developed various diseases such as cancer, miscarriages and birth defects. The intensity of the shelling was on Basra, Baghdad and other areas causing enormously significant effects," he claimed.
The US has admitted using depleted uranium weapons in Iraq. It denied that they pose a health risk, although scientific reports did find anecdotal rises in birth defects and cancer rates.
On March 19, 2003, Washington, along with coalition forces, launched a military offensive on Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein under the pretext of disarming Iraq’s presumed weapons of mass destruction, plunging Iraq into bloodshed and chaos, resulting in the violent deaths of around 200,000 civilians, according to the Iraq Body Count project, although there are other estimations that increase or decrease this figure.
This was preceded by a series of developments that eventually led to the US deploying its army on the Arab country. On January 28, George Bush addressed the nation making it clear that that the US military campaign to topple Saddam Hussein was only a matter of time.
The US officially withdrew its troops from Iraq by December 2011, but thousands remained as part of security operations or serving as private military contractors. The aftermath of the intervention in the country triggered widespread violence and was linked to the rise of the Islamic State (IS).
08:18Those from inside Iraq’s military and scientific community gave their thoughts on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in the US case for war in Iraq, as well as the lasting impact of the conflict, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the intervention.
"The US troops did not find Weapons of Mass Destruction but were able to plant Weapons of Mass Destruction in the form of these parties and governors who governed Iraq for their own interests and destroyed it more than the occupier did," claimed Jalil Khalaf Shuwail Al-Muhammadawi, a former lieutenant in the Iraqi army.
President George W Bush’s 'war on terror’ was based on Iraq’s supposed possession of actual WMDs, and the threat they posed. UN weapons inspectors were sent in the year before the intervention but found very little.
"The Head of International Inspection Teams declared that Iraq is free of Weapons of Mass Destruction," stated nuclear scientist Hamed Al-Bahli, speaking at the former Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center.
"They had destroyed all facilities … which were earmarked in the 1980s and 1990s for this purpose. Accordingly, he submitted a document stating that Iraq was free of Weapons of Mass Destruction."
Anything that was found - such as empty rockets - was destroyed. Team leader Hans Blix said he thought Saddam Hussein’s apparent evasiveness was more about Iraqi honour.
The then-president did have a history of developing and using chemical weapons in the 1980s and Washington and its allies decided it was a deception - despite subsequent reports that they had either been destroyed or never existed.
"With regard to nuclear weapons, the country was free of such weapons and it was a baseless claim with many errors. Manufacturing nuclear weapons is not an easy matter, but it is very difficult and requires massive capacity and time," Al-Bahli continued.
In March 2003, Bush decided to invade regardless, and attacked the country with airstrikes and ground troops, with a devastating impact.
"This ancient country was destroyed by US and Western machinery and was returned to the Middle Ages, as former foreign minister, James Baker told then Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, 'we will bring you back to the Middle Ages if you proceed with your intransigence'," said Al-Muhammadawi.
Aziz did attribute a similar quote to Baker during an interview. It wasn’t corroborated by the US side, although the consequences of the intervention were clear.
"Everything were devastated," continued the soldier. "Cities, bridges, factories, electric power, and Baghdad and all cities were plundered as well as all the state reserves were looted. Iraq turned into a bare, destitute, destroyed powerless country."
By May that same year, Bush was giving his 'mission accomplished' speech although the US troops remained on the ground. For Al-Muhammadawi, it sowed the seeds of resistance.
"I recall very well when Bush declared his victory publicly, I knew the mission was not accomplished and resistance would emerge because the Iraqi people are patriotic and dignified capable of expelling any coloniser or occupier from their lands," he said.
Resentment only intensified with media reports of US troops abusing Iraqi detainees
in the prison west of Baghdad. Washington claimed they were isolated incidents, while human rights groups alleged they were part of a pattern replicated across the world.
"The scandal that unfolded in the US-controlled Abu Ghraib prison was resounding, shameful. They treated Iraqi prisoners in a way that disgraced American and European civilisation while defending freedom and humane treatment," Al-Muhammadawi stated.
US-organised elections were held in the country in 2005 and Western media outlets reported that many welcomed them after more than two decades of Saddam Hussein.
Al-Muhammadawi claims that they were the US’s own version of 'WMDs'. There’s no suggestion the US tried to influence the results, although contemporary reports point to a large rise in sectarian violence among the disparate groups in the years after, due to a lack of leadership and corruption.
In terms of actual WMDs, the US may have found none, but Hamed Al-Bahli argues their own weaponry had its own lasting impact.
"There were internationally prohibited weapons. containing depleted uranium. … As a result, many people have developed various diseases such as cancer, miscarriages and birth defects. The intensity of the shelling was on Basra, Baghdad and other areas causing enormously significant effects," he claimed.
The US has admitted using depleted uranium weapons in Iraq. It denied that they pose a health risk, although scientific reports did find anecdotal rises in birth defects and cancer rates.
On March 19, 2003, Washington, along with coalition forces, launched a military offensive on Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein under the pretext of disarming Iraq’s presumed weapons of mass destruction, plunging Iraq into bloodshed and chaos, resulting in the violent deaths of around 200,000 civilians, according to the Iraq Body Count project, although there are other estimations that increase or decrease this figure.
This was preceded by a series of developments that eventually led to the US deploying its army on the Arab country. On January 28, George Bush addressed the nation making it clear that that the US military campaign to topple Saddam Hussein was only a matter of time.
The US officially withdrew its troops from Iraq by December 2011, but thousands remained as part of security operations or serving as private military contractors. The aftermath of the intervention in the country triggered widespread violence and was linked to the rise of the Islamic State (IS).