4 January 2005
Following the revelation of Polish involvement in a missile engine transaction between former Polish employees of the Military Property Agency and Saddam Hussein's regime, 15 Polish businessmen are charged with supplying arms to Iraq between 2000 and 2002. The evidence for such charges are 280 scrapped engines for Volkhov antiaircraft missiles that were purchased from the businessmen by Amir Ibrahim Jasim al-Tikriti, a cousin of Saddam Hussein and head of the Iraqi missile construction program.
—"Fifteen Poles Face Trial for Supplying Saddam Regime with Missile Engines," Financial Times, 4 January 2005.
2 February 2005
Although Arabic television has screened a videotape showing insurgents orchestrating the crash of British military Hercules C130 aircraft by using shoulder-fired shoulder-to-air missiles, British authorities are not yet acknowledging the authenticity of the tape and continue to investigate. The tape was sent to the al-Jazeera television station by a group called the Green Brigade, which has ties to the National Islamic Resistance operating in Iraq. The group claims responsibility for the crash that caused the death of 10 military personnel on board. The videotape shows of a finger pushing a button, two missiles in the air, an explosion in the sky, followed by footage of what appears to be burning debris of an aircraft in a field.
—Michael McDough, "Iraq Aussie Airman Killed; Plane Crash 'Missile Video' Under Scrutiny," The Advertiser, 2 February 2005.
9 February 2005
A news report on Arabic television relates the North Oil Company's claim that a missile has hit an oil pipeline that connects Kirkuk to oil refineries in Bayji, a location just north of Baghdad. The point of attack is reportedly near Al-Fathah, just two kilometers west of Kirkuk. A North Oil Company official says missiles were used in this attack because the pipeline is fairly well protected. Thamir al-Ghadban, the Iraqi Oil Minister states that attacks on the oil industry since the invasion in 2003 have cost Iraq from $7 to 8 billion in oil exports.
—"Al-Sharqiyah Reports Missile Attack Sets Fire to Oil Pipeline West of Kirkuk," Al-Sharqiyah, 9 February 2005, in FBIS Document GMP20050209000041.
13 February 2005
In response to allegations of insurgent missiles' involvement in the crash on 20 January of the British RAF Hercules C130 transport plane, a British Defense Ministry spokesman maintains that the investigation has yet to be concluded. Metal fatigue is now considered to be the most likely cause of the aircraft's demise, rather than a missile attack. A member of the investigation reports no evidence has been uncovered to support the theory of the airplane being accosted by a missile or explosives.
—Peter Almond, "Metal Fatigue Theory in RAF Crash," Sunday Times, 13 February 2005.
16 February 2005
An attack on US headquarters in Fallujah is claimed by the Islamic Army in Iraq. The group claims to have fired several unknown missiles at the compound, inflicting a number of injuries and deaths among US troops.
—"Islamic Army in Iraq Fires Missiles at US Positions in Al-Fallujah," Al-Jazeera, 16 February 2005, in FBIS Document GMP20050216000260. 26 February 2005
The United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), a group of U.N. inspectors responsible for dismantling the chemical, biological, and long-range missile program in Iraq, is facing the possibility of being discontinued. Due to pressure from the interim Iraqi government, the Bush administration began informal consultations with Demetrius Perricos, UNMOVIC’s executive chairman, to discuss the continued necessity of the group’s presence in Iraq.
––Edith M. Lederer, “After Blocking Discussions, U.S. is Quietly Talking about Ending Work of U.N. Inspectors in Iraq,” Associated Press, 26 February 2005.
27 February 2005
Six surface-to-air missiles are discovered by Iraqi troops in northern Fallujah. The missiles were located in an alleyway in the city, hidden beneath a tarp, and turned over to U.S. Marine explosive disposal experts. Elsewhere, a weapons cache is seized in Saqliwiyah by Iraqi troops from a suspected insurgent including one SA-7 launcher containing one missile.
––“Iraqi, U.S. Forces Continue Increased Security Operations Throughout Al-Anbar Province,” States News Service, 27 February 2005.
4 March 2005
Demetrius Perricos, head of UNMOVIC, reports to the U.N. Security Council that approximately 90 sites inspected by the commission have been looted, razed, or stripped. The missing equipment and materials are of interest to UNMOVIC due to the possibility of use for chemical or biological weapons, and long-range missiles. Satellite imagery revealed the disappearance of such materials from the 90 sites, out of 353 monitored.
––Edith M. Lederer, “UN Report Says Satellite Images Show Some 90 Inspection Sites in Iraq Stripped or Razed,” Associated Press, 4 March 2005.
8 March 2005
A report released by the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) accident inquiry team reveals that a surface-to-air (SAM) missile fired from the ground in Iraq by insurgents is the cause of an RAF Hercules C-130 plane crash earlier this year. Such revelations have caused the MoD to fear that new missiles in the possession of insurgents are capable of striking aircraft flying above 15,000 feet. It was previously believed that SAM missiles have a range of less than 10,000 feet.
––Colin Brown, “RAF Hercules That Crashed Killing 10 was Hit by Missile,” Independent, 8 March 2005.
26 March 2005
Among other biological and chemical weapons catalogued as missing, the Iraq Survey Group reports that up to 36 Samoud 2 short-range missiles, 34 Fatah short-range missiles, and nearly 600 SA-2 missile engines are missing or unaccounted for out of the 90 military-industrial sites in Iraq that were looted or destroyed over the last two years. Before U.N. inspectors were evacuated prior to the U.S. led invasion, they were able to find and destroy 75 Samoud 2 missiles, yet since the war, accounts of the remaining missiles have been lost.
––“Questions That Hang over Iraq’s Military-Industrial Complex,” Associated Press, 26 March 2005; Charles J. Hanley, “Missiles, Microbes, Sacked Weapon Sites: Loose Ends Proliferate in Iraq,” Associated Press, 26 March 2005.
29 March 2005
The Senate Select Committee on U.S. Intelligence releases a report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq, in which it summarizes the prewar assumptions of the U.S. government on Saddam Hussein's holdings of WMD and further condemns the IC for multiple false conclusions on Saddam Hussein's holdings of chemical and biological weapons, as well as his nuclear program. However, it is the Committee's assessment that the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) produced in October 2002 reported Iraq's missile capabilities correctly and reasonably based assumptions on the intelligence in their possession. Prior to the war, the IC reported that Iraq retained up to a few dozen Scud-variant missiles, and was in the final stages of development of the al-Samoud missile. The NIE further warned of Iraq's preparation to deploy the al-Samoud missile and Ababil-100 short-range ballistic missile; both types of missiles exceed the United Nations 150 km limit. It is the Committee's findings that such assertions had ample foundations of intelligence, and further inspection found the assessments to be truthful.
--"Overview of the Report," Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq, 29 March 2005, http://www.wmd.gov/report/report.html#overview.
5 April 2005
As part of a counterinsurgency policy, the United States military is increasing its number of Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAV) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The aircraft are capable of launching missile attacks, tracking insurgents, and are instrumental in the protection of coalition convoys. The Pentagon is preparing to increase its budget for the production of such aircraft to $13 billion through 2010.
--Eric Schmitt, "Remotely Controlled Aircraft Crown Dangerous Iraqi and Afghan Skies," New York Times, 5 April 2005.
8 April 2005
Britain's Joint Intelligence Committee admits many of its allegations on Iraq's chemical, biological, nuclear and, ballistic missile capabilities were wrong and unsubstantiated. The admissions are revealed in the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee annual report.
--Kim Sengupta, "Intelligence Chiefs Admit Iraq Weapons Claims were Untrue," Independent, 8 April 2005.
18 April 2005
An insurgent group known as The Islamic Army in Iraq claims responsibility for a missile attack on a U.S. Armored Personnel Carrier south of Baghdad. They say a number of American soldiers have been wounded as a result of an unidentified missile fired at the patrol vehicle.
--"'Islamic Army' Claims Attack on US Vehicle Near Baghdad," Al-Jazeera, 18 April 2005.
20 April 2005
In the Qadisiyah province of central Iraq a Polish-led multinational force successfully arrest two former Iraqi army officers who had been involved in Saddam Hussein's army in an anti-terror operation. The troops also seize five anti-aircraft missile launchers, 400 meters of fuses, and 24 detonators.
--"Polish-led Forces Detain Two Former Iraqi Army Officers," Saudi Press Agency, 20 April 2005.
21 April 2005
The Bulgarian Defense ministry reports the crash of a commercial civilian helicopter 20 km north of Baghdad. The helicopter was contracted by the U.S. Defense Department and owned by a Bulgarian company called Heli Air. A surface-to-air missile fired by Iraqi insurgents is indicated as the reason for the crash that killed six American security contractors, two guards from the Philippines, and three Bulgarian crew members. The helicopter is the first civilian aircraft to be shot down in Iraq since the arrival of coalition forces.
--"Commercial Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq; Nine Dead, Including Three Bulgarians," Associated Press, 21 April, 2005; "Helicopter Shot Down Near Baghdad," BBC News, 21 April 2005.
22 April 2005
The Iraqi insurgent group Al-Mujahidin Army claims responsibility for the surface-to-air missile attack on the Bulgarian civilian helicopter shot down near Baghdad on 21 April. The group releases a video showing the firing of missiles and the helicopter on fire before hitting the ground. Prior to Al-Mujahidin claims of masterminding the attack, the Islamic Army in Iraq also claimed responsibility for the same attack.
--"Second Group Claims Downing of Bulgarian Helicopter in Iraq," BBC, 22 April 2005.
23 April 2005
A video is posted on an Islamic website by the Islamic Army in Iraq showing the shooting down of a Bulgarian civilian helicopter by a SAM missile and the shooting of a civilian pilot who survived the initial crash.
--Oliver Poole, "Pilot Shot Dead after Surviving Crash," Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2005.
24 April 2005
Statistics are released following the widely-publicized crash of a Bulgarian civilian helicopter on the proliferation of portable anti-aircraft missiles. Bought mostly on the black market, the weapons generally are bought and sold for $50,000 to $250,000 and are found mostly in war zones and the third world. In 2002, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported 29 separate incidents involving aircraft being hit by shoulder-fired missiles, causing 550 recorded deaths. Prior to investigations into Iraq's arsenals, 2,000 of these missiles were thought to be in circulation. In 2004, U.S. intelligence agencies estimated an additional 4,000 from prewar Iraq have been added to this number due to unaccounted for systems from weapons sites.
--Thom Shanker, "Cash-and-Carry Missiles in Iraq," New York Times, 24 April 2005.
28 April 2005
In an addendum to the Iraq Survey Groups report on WMD in Iraq, Charles Duelfer includes an account of an interview conducted with Abdullah al-Mullah Huwaysh, a defense industry official in Saddam Hussein's regime on the topic of Iraq's missile ambitions. Huwaysh says in the report that Saddam asked him in 2002 to begin production of a ballistic missile with the capability of traveling over 300 miles, and be able to reach Israel and Iran.
--Rowan Scarborough, "CIA Reports Saddam Pushed to Restart Arms Effort," Washington Times, 28 April 2005.
1 May 2005
The "Downing Street Memo," a classified document dated July 23, 2002, is recently leaked to the public and reveals top British officials warning Prime Minister Tony Blair that there is sparse evidence of weapons of mass destruction programs in Iraq eight months before the invasion occurs. The memo indicates that Blair supported the U.S. policy of Iraqi regime change by means of a military invasion, but was advised by other British government officials that there was no legal evidence for such actions. Blair says "regime change and WMD were linked in the sense that it was the regime producing WMD...If the political context were right, people would support regime change." Subsequently, it is alleged by U.K newspapers that in the following months Blair intentionally produced faulty information that supported the presence of Iraqi nuclear weapons in an effort to gain British support for a military invasion.
-- "Leaked No 10 Memo Shows Blair Committed to Iraq Eight Months Before Invasion," Sunday Times, 1 May 2005.
25 May 2005
UNMOVIC releases a report that says 3,000 dual use items related to missile production have disappeared from 109 of 378 sites surveyed in Iraq since the beginning of the U.S. led invasion in 2003. Dual use missile items reported to be missing include "solid propellant production equipment, missile hardware, testing equipment, missile subsystems and components and raw materials."
-- "Iraq asks U.S.-led forces to remain in war-torn country," Deutsche Press-Agentur, 25 May 2005; "Iraq weapons material 'missing'," BBC, 3 June 2005.
31 May 2005
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announces that Iraq has joined the Proliferation Security Initiative program in an effort to halt global black market trafficking of missile related materials and technologies.
-- "U.S. to Detail Interception of Weapons Materials," Global Security Newswire, 31 May 2005; Stefan Nicola, "WMD trafficking hard to stop without China," Washington Times, 10 June, 2005.
June 2005
The Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) released the final report of its investigation concerning Iraq’s suspected weapons of mass destruction programs. The report provides supplementary information to the September 2004 report written by Charles Duelfer, special advisor of the Iraq Survey Group. The C.I.A. supplementary report asserts that although there is a risk that Iraqi officials with knowledge of weapons of mass destruction programs could be recruited to work for other governments, terrorist groups, or insurgents, thus far there is “only very limited reporting” that other governments have made attempts to recruit Iraqis and there are “no reports” that any successful attempts have occurred.
–– “Final Iraq Report Downplays Brain Drain,” Arms Control Today, June 2005.
3 June 2005
The White House downplays the findings of the UNMOVIC report released on May 25, 2005. White House spokesman Scott McClellan says that the Bush administration has taken the necessary precautions to secure the Iraqi sites mentioned in the report. He also reports that it is unlikely that the looted dual use missile items are now being used by other countries to enhance their weapons programs.
-- "White House downplays U.N. report on missing weapons in Iraq," Associated Press, 3 June 2005.
24 June 2005
The United Nations Security Council approves a transfer of $200 million dollars from the Iraqi Oil for Food program to the Development Fund for Iraq. Money generated from the Oil for Food program has most recently been used to finance UNMOVIC activities in Iraq in order to dismantle weapons of mass destruction programs. A transfer of funds from Oil for Food Accounts to the Development Fund for Iraq results in a reduction of the UNMOVIC budget from $345.9 million to $125 million. Samir Sumaidaie, Iraq's acting ambassador to the United Nations argues that spending more than $10 million per year for UNMOVIC in Iraq is no longer a useful allocation of government funds because Iraq does not possess any weapons of mass destruction and therefore is no longer a threat.
--"U.N. approves transfer of $200 million in oil-for-food revenue to Iraq Development Fund," Associated Press, 24 June 2005.
30 June 2004
British Prime Minister Tony Blair asserts that the previously classified Downing Street Memos released to the public in May 2005 have been misinterpreted. In response to accusations, resulting from the release of the Memos, that there was a U.S. initiative coupled with U.K. support to invade Iraq shortly after September 11th 2001, Prime Minister Blair says that "people say the decision was already taken. The decision was not already taken."
--"Downing Street Memos Misinterpreted, Blair Says," Global Security Newswire, 30 June 2005.
4 July 2005
Mogens Lykketoft, former foreign minister of Denmark, writes an open letter to President George Bush that claims the U.S. falsely accused Saddam Hussein of harboring "dangerous weapons of mass destruction" as an "original and official justification for the Iraq war."
--"Danish SDP's Lykketoft Writes Open Letter to Bush Criticizing US Foreign Policy," Copenhagen Politiken, 4 July 2005, in FBIS document EUP20050704364006.
14 July 2005
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith says that U.S. policy makers relied too heavily on information regarding the suspected WMD stockpiles believed to exist in Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion. Feith argues that the U.S. led war in Iraq is necessary, but claims that "we as an administration, instead of giving proper emphasis to all major elements of the rationale for war, overemphasized the WMD aspect."
--"AP Interview: Departing Pentagon policy chief says administration overemphasized WMD as war rationale," Associated Press, 14 July 2005.
27 July 2005
The investigation led by the U.S. Senate Select Committee to determine whether or not the Bush administration misconstrued intelligence in order to justify the war in Iraq has come to a halt. Senator John Kerry says that as a result of the stalled proceedings “a year and a half later, there’s still no report, no conclusions, no accountability for the mistakes, and no way to be sure they won’t be repeated.”
— “Prewar Iraq Intelligence Inquiry in Senate,” Global Security Newswire, 27 July 2005.
8 December 2005
The United States and Algeria speak out about removing UNMOVIC, the UN group of weapons inspectors sent to Iraq for the purpose of dismantling Iraq's chemical, biological and long-range missile programs. Though Iraq has been asking the Security Council to remove the inspection body since 2004 due to its funding by Iraqi oil revenue, Algeria and the United States are now leaning on the Security Council to remove UNMOVIC from Iraq as well.
--"Algeria, US Seek End of UN Weapons Inspection Program in Iraq," Associated Press, 8 December 2005.
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Updated May 2006 |
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