Iraq defector Curveball admits to lying about Iraq WMDs

[Steelboy84]

– Tue Feb 15, 8:07 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – The defector whose claims that Iraq had biological weapons were used to justify the 2003 US invasion has admitted that he lied to help get rid of Saddam Hussein, the Guardian newspaper said.

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right," Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi told the British newspaper.

"They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy.

"I had to do something for my country, so I did this and I am satisfied because there is no dictator in Iraq any more," he added.

Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials, told the BND, Germany's secret service, that Iraq had mobile bioweapons trucks and had built clandestine factories.

Even after he went back on his story after being confronted with denials from another source, his former boss, the BND continued to take him seriously, he told The Guardian.

The faulty information formed the cornerstone of former US secretary of state Colin Powell's key address to the United Nations on February 5, 2003.

During the speech, Powell described Janabi as "an Iraqi chemical engineer" who "supervised one of these facilities."

"He actually was present during biological agent production runs and was also at the site when an accident occurred in 1998," Powell told the UN.

Janabi said he was "shocked" by Powell's speech, but played down his role in the conflict.

"Powell didn't say I was the only reason for war, he talked about three things: Uranium, Al-Qaeda in Iraq and my story (biological weapons)," he said.

And he accused the BND of having broken an agreement that they would not hand over his information to other countries.

Tyler Drumheller, the former CIA chief in Europe, said Janabi's "fascinating" admissions "makes me feel better."

"I think there are still a number of people who still thought there was something in that, even now," Drumheller told The Guardian.

German authorities approached Janabi in 2000 after identifying him as a Baghdad-trained chemical engineer with possible inside intelligence of former leader Hussein's regime.

Janabi, who fled Iraq in 1995, lied to the BND, telling them Hussein had acquired mobile bioweapons trucks and built weapons factories.

The BND confronted Janabi with a statement from Bassil Latif, his former boss at the Military Industries Commission in Iraq, who said there were no trucks or factories.

Janabi told the BND: "OK, when (Latif says) there no trucks then (there are none)," according to the paper.

Despite his admission, Janabi said security officials continued to take his claims seriously. They told him in 2002 that his pregnant wife might not be allowed to join him in Germany if he refused to cooperate.

The defector denied that he lied to the BND in order to secure asylum, claiming he did it purely to topple Hussein.

"I was granted asylum on March 13, 2000. The story...had nothing to do with my asylum claim," Janabi told the paper during a meeting in Germany.

"I had a problem with the Saddam regime, I wanted to get rid of him.

"I tell you something when I hear anybody, not just in Iraq but in any war, (is) killed, I am very sad. But give me another solution. Can you give me another solution?

"Believe me, there was no other way to bring about freedom to Iraq. There were no other possibilities," he added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110216...20110216010729

[tony hipchest]

thats ok.

there will still always be the die hard wacko conservative sheepublicans that will always believe hundereds of mobile labs were smuggled into jordan, regardles of what truths are released.

sadaam hussein even admitted on this death bed that the threat of WMD's travelling around and being hidden was pretty much a ruse to keep iran from attacking.

[Steelboy84]

All those lives, all that money, all for stupidity. NOW we want to whiiiiiiiiiine about government spending, but didn't mind creating a budget deficit, didn't mind doubling the debt, didn't mind passing that "socialism" Medicare Part D without paying for it, didn't mind giving the banks $700 billion (Mr. Conservative John McCain).

But now watching deficits/spending has become has become religious. All of a sudden it matters.

[Steelboy84]

You can respect conservatives like Ron Paul because they aren't hypocrites. The rest are just pretenders. Boehner, McConnell, all hypocrites. Before 2007, they didn't meet a spending bill they didn't like.

Where were they when Paul was telling them about spending? Where were they when he said don't go to Iraq, don't start a deficit, don't add to the debt? Where were they and the Tea Party then?

"Yes sir massa Bush".

[thumper]

Originally Posted by Steelboy84

You can respect conservatives like Ron Paul because they aren't hypocrites. The rest are just pretenders. Boehner, McConnell, all hypocrites. Before 2007, they didn't meet a spending bill they didn't like.

Where were they when Paul was telling them about spending? Where were they when he said don't go to Iraq, don't start a deficit, don't add to the debt? Where were they and the Tea Party then?

"Yes sir massa Bush".

[MasterOfPuppets]

one only has to follow the rainbow to see who is collecting the pots of gold, to find the real reason for the invasions of iraq and afghanistan. then i'm sure you'll find a money trail leading to bush, cheney and their cronies.

this "war on terror" , is nothing but a means to strip citizens of freedoms and liberties , while lining the pockets of the wealthy elite.
the government has simply set a plan in motion that they intended to use to justify starting a war with cuba in the 50's.

Operation Northwoods

Code named Operation Northwoods, the plan, which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phony evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war.

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHART...orthwoods.html

if the government were actually series about protecting america and american citizens , then why are they content with doing the bare minimum to secure the borders ? infact the republican latest proposal on the budget , wants to CUT the border security budget .