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CNN Live Today

U.S. Planned, Called Off Attack on Iraqi Weapons Site

Aired August 20, 2002 - 11:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. officials confirmed to CNN that President Bush considered a military strike against a group in northern Iraq, one affiliated with al Qaeda. But apparently, he scrapped those plans.
Our national security correspondent is David Ensor. He checks in now from Washington with more on this story.

Hello -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.

Well, U.S. officials say in recent weeks the Bush administration considered a covert CIA and military mission against an al Qaeda- affiliated biological weapons test facility in northern Iraq, in an area not controlled by Saddam Hussein' government. Officials say for now, at least, no such mission is imminent. And one senior official says, in fact, that any possible attack has been called off.

U.S. intelligence officials have been saying for some time now that al Qaeda has been in northern Iraq in an area under the control of Kurdish militants. Because the area is under Kurdish control, U.S. officials stress they have no reason to believe that Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, would have been aware of what was happening there.

Sources say the site was extremely primitive and was being used to test a powerful biological toxin, called Ricin, to test it on barnyard animals and possibly on at least one human.

At the White House, a spokesman said there would be no comment on the matter, since it involves possible military targeting. And another official pointed out that the area is within the northern no- fly zone, patrolled since the end of the Gulf War by U.S. and allied warplanes.

The small militant group conducting the tests calls itself Ansar al-Islam. U.S. officials say some of its members received training in terrorism techniques at camps in Afghanistan, run by al Qaeda -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, David, have you learned whether or not there was any consultation with the Bush administration and other governments or possible allies before the consideration of this plan was even brought up? Or was this something the administration was willing to go alone on?

ENSOR: The administration, of course, didn't go it alone. In the end, it has at least for the moment, concluded it's not going to move against the site. And an official I spoke to today said if there was anything left at the site yesterday, after all of the news reports, you can be sure it is not there anymore.

Still, they are watching this Ansar al-Islam group very closely. The fact that the group, according to these officials, has tested Ricin on barnyard animals is pretty disturbing. It suggests they are trying to develop some kind of weapon of mass destruction. And so, you know, the group is going to be watched very closely, that you can be sure of -- Leon.

HARRIS: No doubt, no doubt at all -- David Ensor in Washington, thank you very much.

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