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101st Finds Possible Chemical Labs

Aired April 14, 2003 - 14:06   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: For this hour, we begin with a discovery just south of Baghdad. An American general is telling CNN that his troops have found a number -- 11, to be specific -- mobile laboratories buried in and around Karbala. All the vehicles are being described -- they sound a lot like the units Washington had warned about so often in advance of the war as it built its case for going to war.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote is embedded with the 101st Airborne Division. He's there, he is on the scene, broke this story about an hour and a half or so ago. He's joining us now live -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the 101st has been inspecting several sites where they suspect that the Iraqis may have hidden elements of a chemical and biological weapons program. This new site they found about a week ago, and they now believe is very suspect. Like you said, about three hours ago today, I spoke with Brigadier General Benjamin Freakly. He is from the 101st Airborne, and he gave me a bit of an update about where they are in that sensitive site exploitation. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. BENJAMIN FREAKLY, 101ST AIRBORNE: In Karbala, when we were fighting there with the 2nd Brigade, the 2nd Brigade found about 11 buried conexes (ph), large, metal 20 by, probably, 20 foot vans buried in the ground. They are dual-use chemical labs -- biological and chemical. About 1,000 pounds of documentation were found in that. And they were close to a artillery ammunition plant. So this is consistent with the Iraqi denial -- Iraqi -- former Iraqi leadership denial of doing anything -- any wrongdoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHILCOTE: He went on to say that the equipment that they found -- what he is describing as dual-use, like you just heard, dual-use chemical and biological laboratories -- appears to have of been purchased since the year 2000. He said that they estimate that that equipment is worth about $1 million.

Now, the general is really suggesting here that the Iraqis did not declare or were not at least forthcoming about these laboratories, if they are indeed, like he is suggesting, laboratories. And that that is really the problem, irrespective of what this site turns out to be.

He's saying, look, this is obviously suspect because they never mentioned this in the -- for example, in the Iraqi declaration to the United Nations about their chemical and biological weapons programs.

One word of caution, however. We don't want to sensationalize these new findings. There have been false alarms. This is not the first site that the 101st has inspected. Just about a week ago, Wolf, you'll remember that we reported extensively on another site where the 101st believed that they had found either nerve agent or a high-grade pesticide. It turned out to be a high-grade pesticide.

The work -- the inspection work that they're doing is slow and tedious and very sophisticated work, and it really requires a lot of patience on everyone's behalf, really, because really what they have to do is piece together a number of clues. It is not appropriate to jump to conclusions, but the 101st believes, obviously, that they have at least enough interesting information, enough interesting things like, for example, that these -- these vans, as he's describing them, were buried under the ground. Like the fact that, according to the general, they were clearly marked so that someone could find them if they needed to find them. And like the fact that he is saying that they were buried in close proximity to an artillery plant. Clearly, the 101st believes that they have enough information to continue with their investigation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote with the 101st reporting. Thanks, Ryan, very much for that good work.

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 14, 2003 - 14:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: For this hour, we begin with a discovery just south of Baghdad. An American general is telling CNN that his troops have found a number -- 11, to be specific -- mobile laboratories buried in and around Karbala. All the vehicles are being described -- they sound a lot like the units Washington had warned about so often in advance of the war as it built its case for going to war.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote is embedded with the 101st Airborne Division. He's there, he is on the scene, broke this story about an hour and a half or so ago. He's joining us now live -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the 101st has been inspecting several sites where they suspect that the Iraqis may have hidden elements of a chemical and biological weapons program. This new site they found about a week ago, and they now believe is very suspect. Like you said, about three hours ago today, I spoke with Brigadier General Benjamin Freakly. He is from the 101st Airborne, and he gave me a bit of an update about where they are in that sensitive site exploitation. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. BENJAMIN FREAKLY, 101ST AIRBORNE: In Karbala, when we were fighting there with the 2nd Brigade, the 2nd Brigade found about 11 buried conexes (ph), large, metal 20 by, probably, 20 foot vans buried in the ground. They are dual-use chemical labs -- biological and chemical. About 1,000 pounds of documentation were found in that. And they were close to a artillery ammunition plant. So this is consistent with the Iraqi denial -- Iraqi -- former Iraqi leadership denial of doing anything -- any wrongdoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHILCOTE: He went on to say that the equipment that they found -- what he is describing as dual-use, like you just heard, dual-use chemical and biological laboratories -- appears to have of been purchased since the year 2000. He said that they estimate that that equipment is worth about $1 million.

Now, the general is really suggesting here that the Iraqis did not declare or were not at least forthcoming about these laboratories, if they are indeed, like he is suggesting, laboratories. And that that is really the problem, irrespective of what this site turns out to be.

He's saying, look, this is obviously suspect because they never mentioned this in the -- for example, in the Iraqi declaration to the United Nations about their chemical and biological weapons programs.

One word of caution, however. We don't want to sensationalize these new findings. There have been false alarms. This is not the first site that the 101st has inspected. Just about a week ago, Wolf, you'll remember that we reported extensively on another site where the 101st believed that they had found either nerve agent or a high-grade pesticide. It turned out to be a high-grade pesticide.

The work -- the inspection work that they're doing is slow and tedious and very sophisticated work, and it really requires a lot of patience on everyone's behalf, really, because really what they have to do is piece together a number of clues. It is not appropriate to jump to conclusions, but the 101st believes, obviously, that they have at least enough interesting information, enough interesting things like, for example, that these -- these vans, as he's describing them, were buried under the ground. Like the fact that, according to the general, they were clearly marked so that someone could find them if they needed to find them. And like the fact that he is saying that they were buried in close proximity to an artillery plant. Clearly, the 101st believes that they have enough information to continue with their investigation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote with the 101st reporting. Thanks, Ryan, very much for that good work.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com