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10/29/2004 Archived Entry: "U.S. Team Took 250 Tons of Iraqi Munitions"

Posted by steve @ 03:43 PM EST [Link]

SOMEONE'S LYING OR NO ONE KNOWS THE TRUTH: The al Qaqaa story took another twist today when Major Austin Pearson of the 3rd Infantry Division -- the same division that fought a two-day battle to capture the facility -- came forward today to announce that a team took most of the explosives there.

Explosives were part of the load taken by the team, but Major Austin Pearson was unable to say what percentage they accounted for. The material was then destroyed, he said.

The Pentagon believes the disclosure helps explain what happened to 377 tons of high explosives that the International Atomic Energy Agency said disappeared after the U.S.-led invasion.

Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita acknowledged the Defense Department did not have all the answers and could not yet account for all of the missing explosives, but stressed that the major's disclosure was a significant development in unraveling the mystery.

Alright, all well and good but how does this square with the media report from April 2003, I believe it was the New York Times, that stated when the 3rd Infantry Division showed up at al Qaqaa there were no explosives to be found? That news story contrasts with the footage taken by a television station that apparently shows the explosives still there on April 18, after U.S. soldiers arrived.

Read on.