Remember this satellite photo?

This is one of the photos that Colin Powell used in his U.N. presentation to “prove” that Saddam was a few minutes away from killing all of us. Yes, it all turned out to be complete bullshit, but take another look at the photo.

You can clearly make out ten or so buildings and a few cargo trucks. Keep that in mind when you read this :

“U.N. weapons inspectors Wednesday resumed their search for evidence of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction by sending a missile team to the Badr Company, 30-38 kilometers (18-24 miles) south of Baghdad, near al Qaqaa. Chemical weapons inspectors were also believed to be headed to al Qaqaa. Teams have gone to the complex at al Qaqaa more than a dozen times, including several consecutive days since last week. ”

- CNN, Jan 22, 2003

Research & Development

Created special unit at Al Qaqaa for the production of high explosive lenses, detonators and propellants for nuclear weapons

Compiled large stocks of imported HMX and RDX and own operating RDX production plant

- Key Findings of IAEA’s Iraq Nuclear Verification Office

Al Qa Qaa was responsible for the explosive filling of long-range missile warheads.

Warhead processing facilities at the site were destroyed under UNSCOM supervision.

Iraq made significant progress in the development of the nuclear weapon implosion package, largely through efforts at the Al Qa Qaa establishment. The involvement of the Al Qa Qaa State Establishment in support of the development of the implosion package began in 1987.

- GlobalSecurity.org

Now if the military can keep their eyes on some “mobile weapons labs” from space, wouldn’t they at least keep an eye on a complex that consists of at least 87 buildings and was being closely monitored by the IAEA prior to the invasion? There were 40 tankers worth of powerful explosives that “disappeared”. How could this just slip through the cracks?