U.S. intelligence analysts have been closely examining satellite images of the west bank of the Tigris River in Baghdad for signs of a laboratory rumored to exist there. Called Tahaddy, or "Challenge," the lab is purported to have 85 employees and a top-secret mission: making biological weapons for Iraq's militaryThe Washington Post reported in its Wednesday edition.
Details about the lab came out of Iraq in recent months in accounts from defectors and Iraqi exiles opposed to President Saddam Hussein. They spoke about underground test chambers, heavy security and a viral strain code-named "Blue Nile," which sounds suspiciously like the Ebola virus.
"It sounds credible. It is certainly plausible," a Pentagon intelligence analyst who specializes in Iraq said of the facility last week, according to the newspaper. "But proving it is another matter."
Meanwhile, a prominent US senator introduced Tuesday a bill asking the Bush administration not to use force against Iraq without authorization from the congress. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Californian Democrat, argued that the administration has provided no proof that Iraq is harboring weapons of mass destruction, is sheltering members of al-Qaeda network, or had any links to the September 11 attacks on the United States.
The bill reflects mounting concerns among US lawmakers, including the Republicans, that although a US invasion into Iraq may be inevitable, the Bush administration should somehow get the green light from the congress before it takes military actions to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
In another development, there are reports that Israel has been preparing for the war in Iraq. “Iron Wall” -- this will be the alert code to be used by the Israeli army’s Home Front Command to warn the population of a missile attack on Israel.
According to Maariv daily, the army has recently stepped up the preparation of the home front in anticipation of the expected US attack on Iraq. Israeli security officials estimate that Saddam will order his army to fire long-range missiles at Israel, including some outfitted with chemical and biological warheads, already at the beginning of the US strike.
According to the newspaper, in "quiet contacts" held recently with the heads of the US Administration, Israel asked a forewarning of several days prior to the strike to be able to prepare for the possibility of missiles being fired on Israel's civilian population. The Israeli prime minister, the defense minister, and the chief of staff raised this issue in their recent visits to Washington. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
