Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Chemical Questions
Aired April 10, 2003 - 10:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's look at the question of where are those weapons of mass destruction that the Bush administration contended that Saddam Hussein had, and why haven't Iraqi forces used chemical weapons? Let's get a strategic look at that now.
And for that, we're joined once again by Major General Don Shepperd, our military analyst at CNN Center.
General, hello once again.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hello, Daryn.
KAGAN: Where are all these weapons of mass destruction? Any clues from the U.S. military, and wasn't this what this cause was supposed to be about?
SHEPPERD: It's one of the things that the conflict was supposed to be about, Daryn, also getting rid of the regime was what it was about.
Now the search for weapons of mass destruction goes on. None have been found yet. But I believe the reason they have not been used when clearly the Iraqi forces had not only chemical warfare suits, but atropine and that type of thing deployed with them and knew that coalition forces did not have chemical weapons, it was fairly clear they had the ability and the intent probably to use those. I think that the coalition overran them rapidly enough that they simply were not able to get themselves together and give themselves the time and distance that they need to employ those, which is normally from artillery or rockets.
So we're still searching, particularly in the western part of the country, in the vicinity of H1, H2, and H3 airfields, and undoubtedly in the tunnels underneath the capital, in Baghdad itself -- Daryn.
KAGAN: What is it about the western parts of the country that would draw attention, general.
SHEPPERD: Yes, those H1, H2 and H3 airfields basically were very sophisticated airfields with many bunkers and reportedly, the storage site of many of the SCUD missiles launched during Gulf War one at Israel.
So the fear was they would have the ability to hide a SCUD missile, put weapons of mass destruction on it, launch it into Israel, and thus draw Israel into this conflict, complicating the coalition problems, Daryn. That did not happen. Again, rapid seizure of H1, H2 and H3 airfields. But again, the search goes, and we still very well may turn up some of these things as the search does go on -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Major General Don Shepperd. I certainly know here in Kuwait as the missiles were launched time after time, there was concern there was weapons of mass destruction on those. Of course, there never was with any of the missiles that made it here to Kuwait.
General, thank you for your time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 10, 2003 - 10:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's look at the question of where are those weapons of mass destruction that the Bush administration contended that Saddam Hussein had, and why haven't Iraqi forces used chemical weapons? Let's get a strategic look at that now.
And for that, we're joined once again by Major General Don Shepperd, our military analyst at CNN Center.
General, hello once again.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hello, Daryn.
KAGAN: Where are all these weapons of mass destruction? Any clues from the U.S. military, and wasn't this what this cause was supposed to be about?
SHEPPERD: It's one of the things that the conflict was supposed to be about, Daryn, also getting rid of the regime was what it was about.
Now the search for weapons of mass destruction goes on. None have been found yet. But I believe the reason they have not been used when clearly the Iraqi forces had not only chemical warfare suits, but atropine and that type of thing deployed with them and knew that coalition forces did not have chemical weapons, it was fairly clear they had the ability and the intent probably to use those. I think that the coalition overran them rapidly enough that they simply were not able to get themselves together and give themselves the time and distance that they need to employ those, which is normally from artillery or rockets.
So we're still searching, particularly in the western part of the country, in the vicinity of H1, H2, and H3 airfields, and undoubtedly in the tunnels underneath the capital, in Baghdad itself -- Daryn.
KAGAN: What is it about the western parts of the country that would draw attention, general.
SHEPPERD: Yes, those H1, H2 and H3 airfields basically were very sophisticated airfields with many bunkers and reportedly, the storage site of many of the SCUD missiles launched during Gulf War one at Israel.
So the fear was they would have the ability to hide a SCUD missile, put weapons of mass destruction on it, launch it into Israel, and thus draw Israel into this conflict, complicating the coalition problems, Daryn. That did not happen. Again, rapid seizure of H1, H2 and H3 airfields. But again, the search goes, and we still very well may turn up some of these things as the search does go on -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Major General Don Shepperd. I certainly know here in Kuwait as the missiles were launched time after time, there was concern there was weapons of mass destruction on those. Of course, there never was with any of the missiles that made it here to Kuwait.
General, thank you for your time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
