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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Sun Jun 05, 2005 10:50 pm Huge Underground Hideout Uncovered In Iraq |
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| Quote: | Huge underground hideout uncovered in Iraq
Search in Anbar province yields large weapons cache
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marines and Iraqi soldiers have uncovered a 503,000-square-foot underground insurgent hideout in central Iraq containing large stores of weapons, ammunition and supplies.
The bunker -- the size of nine American football fields or six soccer pitches -- is the largest found in the past year, the U.S. military said Sunday.
No insurgents were in the bunker, but Marines found fully charged cell phones and fresh food in the kitchen, said 1st Lt. Kate VandenBossche, a spokeswoman for the 2nd Marine Division.
The bunker, which measured 902 feet (275 meters) by 558 feet (170 meters), also included furnished living spaces, two showers and an air conditioner, she said.
Other rooms contained machine guns, mortars, rockets, artillery rounds, black uniforms, ski masks, compasses, log books and night vision goggles, she said.
Marines on patrol found the bunker Thursday north of Karma, near the city of Falluja.
The patrol was looking for weapons caches in Anbar province when they noticed a lone building in an old rock quarry in the middle of the desert, VandenBossche said.
"In one room there was a large, chest-style electric freezer," she said. "The Marines moved it and found the hidden entrance to the underground quarry system."
It is not yet known if the bunker was built by Saddam Hussein's regime or if the insurgents created it from the remnants of the quarry.
"We don't know how long the bunker has been in use. We're still exploring the area and notating everything we find," she said.
After Marines search the site, the weapons and munitions will be destroyed through controlled detonations, she said.
It is one of a dozen weapons caches found in the area in the past four days, she said.
12 'documented cases' against Saddam
With the potential for more than 500 cases against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, prosecutors will focus on 12 "documented cases," the spokesman for Iraq's prime minister said Sunday.
Laith Kubba said "there is no need to waste this effort" to prosecute all 500.
"They might be over 500. However, the cases that are documented are 12, and the investigation judges are confident that the cases for which he will face the punishment stipulated by the law are 12," he said.
According to The Associated Press, a spokesman for Saddam's legal team said the charges were illegal.
"The appropriate channel is for the accusations to come through the court and for the lawyers to receive a copy of the indictment," Issam Ghazawi said, according to the AP report.
Saddam heard seven charges against him during a July 1, 2004, appearance before a court that was formed by the Coalition Provisional Authority, a U.S.-backed body that no longer exists. He has not appeared before the Iraqi tribunal responsible for handling war crimes.
At that time, the Iraq judge read preliminary charges that had been outlined in his arrest warrant. That warrant accuses Saddam of allegedly killing religious figures in 1974; gassing Kurds in Halabja in 1988; killing the Kurdish Barzani clan in 1983; killing members of political parties in the past 30 years; displacing Kurds during the 1986-88 "Anfal" campaign; suppressing the 1991 uprisings by Kurds and Shiites; and invading Kuwait in 1990.
It was not immediately clear if those seven were among the 12 cases.
Several of Saddam's top lieutenants face similar preliminary charges.
Kubba said he believed Saddam's trial could begin within the two-month time frame given by interim Iraq President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday.
"I don't see anything that would prevent it from happening in this short period," he said, "and the government's position is to push for and speed up the trial as quickly as possible."
U.S. troops captured Saddam in December 2003, eight months after his government fell. He is in the legal custody of Iraq's government but under the guard of U.S. troops.
Other developments
* Iraqi police have arrested a close aide to the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq's cell in the northern city of Mosul, government officials said Sunday. Mutlaq Mahmoud Mutlaq Abdullah, also known as Abu Raad, was arrested on May 28, the government said. He is believed to be a top organizer and financier of the Mosul cell.
* Gunmen wounded the police chief of Buhruz, Major Mohammed Azzawi, and killed his driver Sunday, Iraqi police said. Another police officer was wounded in the attack in the town just south of the Baquba, police said.
* An Egyptian national was shot to death in the western Baghdad neighborhood of al-Amriyah on Saturday evening, Iraqi police said. Gunmen fired upon Ahmed Kamal while he was driving his car, police said.
CNN's Kianne Sadeq and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:39 pm |
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Imagine, if something the size of NINE football fields long could be hidden for so long, think of allllll the other things that take up so much less space that could be hidden  .
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Lord Borg
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 11214
Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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| Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:42 pm |
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Wow, thats alot of stuff. I wonder who biult it
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:50 pm |
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The Australians.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Joey
Rear Admiral
Joined: 13 Jul 2001
Posts: 4708
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| Sun Jun 05, 2005 11:58 pm |
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| Theresa wrote: | The Australians.
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and their kangeroos
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Starbuck
faster...
Joined: 19 Feb 2003
Posts: 8715
Location: between chaos and melody
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 7:13 am |
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WOW! We're doing such a good job over there! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Keep up the good work boys!!
Now, that was definiate sarcasm, but I couldn't resist.
Anyways, its kinda scary that something so large can remain hidden for so long. If we couldn't find that, what else are we missing?
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:15 am |
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Sometimes I just don't get you.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:33 pm |
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| Theresa wrote: | | Sometimes I just don't get you. |
Same here. You can never support our troops, truly, now can you?
And Puck made a good point, ya know. This shows that WMDs could really be hidden, if something so big went undetected for so long
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:05 pm |
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With stuff like this showing up, I hope I will cease hearing claims that there are no WMD's in Iraq. It will take decades to settle that issue.
-------signature-------
"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:05 pm |
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| webtaz99 wrote: | | With stuff like this showing up, I hope I will cease hearing claims that there are no WMD's in Iraq. It will take decades to settle that issue. |
Unfortunately your hopes will not come true, saddly 
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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madlilnerd
Duchess of Dancemat
Joined: 03 Aug 2004
Posts: 5885
Location: Slough, England
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:34 pm |
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Anything can be hidden for a long time. Some manor houses in Britain are still discovering priest holes from way back (1500s) and some places in Germany are also still discovering secret alcoves where Jews hid.
Hide and seek on a global scale? Anything could be out there. WOMD, Area 51, alien headquarters... who knows what we'll find next?
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Link, the Hero of Time
Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001
Posts: 5581
Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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| Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:21 pm |
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| webtaz99 wrote: | | With stuff like this showing up, I hope I will cease hearing claims that there are no WMD's in Iraq. It will take decades to settle that issue. |
The only proof is visible proof. Until then, People will still believe there are none there.
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Sat Jun 11, 2005 8:00 am |
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There aren't aaaaaaaaany.
You'd think it is amazing now that they captured Saddam if they can miss places like that though... sheesh, took them three years to find that place, thought the whole population of Iraq was following them like happy puppies to point everything out to them!
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sat Jun 11, 2005 6:51 pm |
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| Dirt wrote: | There aren't aaaaaaaaany.
You'd think it is amazing now that they captured Saddam if they can miss places like that though... sheesh, took them three years to find that place, thought the whole population of Iraq was following them like happy puppies to point everything out to them! |
We don't know that there aren't any. I'm not even CLOSE to being convinced that there aren't/weren't any.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:32 pm |
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Oh, we know it already... it's just gonna take a while for people to realise it was all propaganda.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sat Jun 11, 2005 10:08 pm |
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| Dirt wrote: | | Oh, we know it already... it's just gonna take a while for people to realise it was all propaganda. |
Oh, yes, very funny. (Sarcasm)
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Sat Jun 11, 2005 11:18 pm |
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It wasn't propaganda that killed those Kurds.
-------signature-------
"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:30 am |
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Yeeeees I'm aware of that. But the whole piles of wmds that were such a big threat certainly weren't there. And it wasn't really a joke RM...
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:37 pm |
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| Dirt wrote: | | Yeeeees I'm aware of that. But the whole piles of wmds that were such a big threat certainly weren't there. And it wasn't really a joke RM... |
You DON'T know that And if it wasn't a joke, then STOP putting the !
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 2:30 pm |
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And you're a mod? It's like saying santa claus might excist, nobody can prove he's not there as he hasn;t been found yet
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 2:42 pm |
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| Dirt wrote: | | And you're a mod? It's like saying santa claus might excist, nobody can prove he's not there as he hasn;t been found yet |
At the mall, duh  (And there's a difference here )
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 2:43 pm |
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Smartass
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madlilnerd
Duchess of Dancemat
Joined: 03 Aug 2004
Posts: 5885
Location: Slough, England
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:37 pm |
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I'd just like to take this moment to point out that lots of countries have WOMD including America and Korea... so why not Iraq?
The earth holds many secrets. I don't think we will ever find them all.
-------signature-------
Help me. Get Lost.
www.lost.eu/1b3b1
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 6:53 pm |
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If you really don't see the difference in countries like the US and the UK having WMD's vs countries like Iraq...
Personally, I think it'd be really cool if they all disappeared, but that's not going to happen.
Back on topic, some of the comments being made in here show a serious lack of thought, and a serious lack of a grasp of reality. Informed posts are our friend, ok?
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:57 pm |
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| Theresa wrote: | If you really don't see the difference in countries like the US and the UK having WMD's vs countries like Iraq...
Personally, I think it'd be really cool if they all disappeared, but that's not going to happen.
Back on topic, some of the comments being made in here show a serious lack of thought, and a serious lack of a grasp of reality. Informed posts are our friend, ok? |
Think the nerd meant they just got them T
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