Final U.S. Report on Iraqi WMD Capabilities Could Speculate on What Might Have Been

The final report of the Iraq Survey Group, which is searching for evidence of Iraq’s alleged prewar WMD efforts, is set to contain speculation as to what the country’s unconventional weapons programs might have looked like had the United States not invaded, the Los Angeles Times reported today (see GSN, Aug. 12).

Congressional and intelligence officials have said the report, set to be released next month by the CIA, is expected to project what WMD capabilities Iraq might have attained up to 2008, according to the Times. The officials said the plans for the ISG report were disclosed during a classified briefing last month by the unit’s former military commander, Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton.

In a letter last week to acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, Representative Jane Harman (D-Calif.) called the reported focus of the ISG report “inconsistent with the original mission” of the unit. In addition, former chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay said that speculation on Iraq’s future WMD capabilities was never part of the unit’s mission (see GSN, Aug. 19).

“We were to search for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. No one ever suggested to me in any of the discussions before I took the job, afterward, or even when I left, that (assessing Iraq’s future capabilities) was a thing that should have been done,” Kay, who led the survey group until January, told the Times yesterday.

The CIA refused to confirm or deny whether speculation on Iraq’s future WMD efforts would be part of the final ISG report.

“[Unit chief] Charles Duelfer’s mission is to search for the truth, and he made clear when he took the job that he was absolutely committed to following the evidence wherever it takes us,” agency spokesman Mark Mansfield said. “That is what he’s doing, and that is what will be reflected in his report.”

A U.S. intelligence official also said that Iraq’s future capabilities were “not the focus at all” of the report and that the document “will not be speculative” (Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, Aug. 20).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.