First U.S. Unit at Iraq Site Did Not Hunt Explosives

~snip~
The Pentagon (news - web sites) arranged the media briefing as Bush tries to limit political damage from the issue.


The missing explosives had been monitored by inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) until the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.


Diplomats said the IAEA had cautioned the United States about the danger of the explosives before the war, and after the invasion told U.S. officials about the need to keep them secured.


Perkins said he did not believe that his forces had been informed the IAEA previously had marked and sealed explosives at the site. "This was just another one of those sites that the process was no different. It was no less stringent or more stringent," he told reporters.

~snip~
more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20041027/ts_nm/iraq_explosives_pentagon_dc

So who the hell was responsible for informing the troops about the sites?????

Better headline:Al-Qaqaa Commander Theorizes on Weapons

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=5&u=/ap/20041027/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_weapons

Translation: Pentagon scrambles to cover * butt and their own.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!

Will the media EVER get this fact straight EVER?????!!!

The FIRST UNIT at Al QaQaa was the 3rd Infantry Division engineer brigade under the command of Col. John Peabody.

They reached Al QaQaa on April 3, 2003.

And THEY FOUND EXPLOSIVES.

The 101st AirBorne didn't reach Al QaQaa until ONE WEEK LATER, April 10, 2003.

according to the article:
Col. Dave Perkins, then the commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, said the immediate concern when his troops reached the Al Qaqaa site on April 3, 2003, was to defeat a couple of hundred Iraqi troops who were firing from the compound as the Americans surged toward Baghdad.

Bottom line is: NO ONE searched, not the 1st, 2nd or 3rd!!!!

Was a suspected Chemical weapons site. It was searched by some US forces on or about April 3/4th 2003. No Chemical weapons were found (obviously) but "thousands of boxes" contaning vials of "white powder" later determined to be explosives WERE found at the site. This was reported by the AP on April 4/5, 2003.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5014410.html

I imagine finding IAEC tags would have caused a commotion?

Thousands of tons of explosives, used in bombs, artillery, SAMs, SCUDs, grenades, land mines, and mortars.

They also found thousands of tons of propellants for SAMS, SCUDs missiles, rocket propelled grenades, artillery, and small arms.

The US knew that those explosives and propellants were stored there (Al Aq was one of the largest munitions plants and storage sites in Iraq.)

THAT's why the USAF bombed Al Aq, causing the destruction of at least 2 storage bunkers, with "terrific explosions".

THAT's why the 3ID's Combat Engineer brigade (note: a brigade is made up of 3000-5000 soldiers) was at the site in April 2003. Combat engineers are the soldiers responsible for dealing with enemy munitions dumps; EOD is a function of the Army Engineer Corps.

The question is, "did they find bunkers sealed with IAEA seals?"