SECRET DÉFENSE – La CIA a aidé Saddam Hussein à gazer les troupes iraniennes

La CIA a aidé Saddam Hussein à mener des attaques chimiques contre l'Iran en 1988. C'est ce qu’affirme Foreign Policy, documents déclassifiés et témoignages de hauts-gradés américains à l'appui.

Des rapports jusqu'à présent secrets, qui prouvent que, dès 1984, les renseignements américains savaient que leur allié officieux de l'époque, l'Irak de Saddam Hussein, en guerre contre l'Iran de 1980 à 1988, détenait un stock d'armes chimiques, composé de gaz moutarde et de sarin. Deux substances létales, dont l'usage est interdit par le protocole de Genève, ignoré par l'Irak, mais ratifié par les Etats-Unis dès 1975.

"Les Irakiens ne nous ont jamais dit qu'ils comptaient utiliser des gaz neurotoxiques. Ils n'en avaient pas besoin. Nous le savions déjà", a confié à Foreign Policy le colonel retraité Rick Francona, spécialiste du Moyen-Orient pour les renseignements américains.

CIA Confirms Iraq Used Nerve Agent

Les Etats-Unis ont ainsi fourni des informations sur les mouvements des troupes iraniennes nécessaires aux frappes, sans ignorer que l'Irak possédait un tel arsenalet avait toutes les chances de l'utiliser, révèle Foreign Policy.

Lorsqu'en 1987 les renseignements américains apprennent que les Iraniens ont découvert un trou béant dans la défense irakienne près de Bassorah et qu'ils s'apprêtent à lancer l'offensive, la situation bascule. Selon les estimations américaines, si cette ville tombe aux mains des Iraniens, ces derniers seraient en passe de remporter la guerre.

Selon Rick Francona, le rapport des renseignements est remis à Ronald Reagan, alors président des Etats-Unis. Après lecture, ce dernier annote le document laconiquement : "Une victoire de l'Iran est inacceptable."

La note est transmise au secrétaire de la défense américain de l'époque, qui fait suivre les consignes. A partir de 1988, l'agence du renseignement de la défense est autorisée à fournir aux Irakiens les informations dont les Etats-Unis disposent sur les déploiements et mouvements ennemis.

En 1988, quatre attaques chimiques irakiennes ont été menées contre les Iraniens. Des assauts décisifs, qui causèrent des milliers de morts au sein des troupes ennemies.

La dernière des quatre attaques menées par Saddam Hussein, en avril 1988, a déployé dans les airs la plus grande quantité de sarin jamais utilisé par les Irakiens."Pendant un quart de siècle, aucune attaque chimique n'a égalé l'ampleur des assauts illégaux de Saddam Hussein", souligne Foreign Policy.

Ces révélations interviennent alors que Bachar Al-Assad est accusé d'utiliser du sarin à Damas. Des attaques chimiques contre lesquelles les Etats-Unis, vingt ans après leur participation au gazage des troupes iraniennes, accentuent les préparatifs en vue d'une riposte.

Intelligence Assessment of Iraqi Chemical Weapons Program

Source: Le Monde

Iraq would ‘welcome’ US drones to fight Al-Qaeda

Iraq’s foreign minister says that Baghdad is seeking US aid to fight terrorists, which could mean that lethal drones will soon be stationed in the country. It comes less than two years after US troops left Iraq amid unceasing sectarian violence.

The recent surge of violence in Iraq has prompted the country’s government to seek a new US aid package, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari told reporters on Friday. 

Zebari, who spoke in Washington during his US visit, said that “there is greater realization in the Iraq government that we should not shy away from coming and asking for some help and assistance.” 

When asked about details of the assistance package, top Iraqi officials said it could include a “limited”number of American counter-terror advisers stationed in the country. 

The officials added that the package could also include some aid in the form of intelligence analysis and surveillance assets, including unmanned aerial vehicles – otherwise known as drones – for targeted strikes.

The country’s government would “welcome American reconnaissance over Iraq” and near its borders, Zebari said. 

According to Zebari, the US has largely had an “indifferent” policy towards Iraq ever since US troops withdrew from the country in 2011, following failed negotiations on their prolonged stay. However, he says that Americans cannot help but be concerned with the rising Al-Qaeda influence in the region. 

“Recently I noticed, and during this visit specifically, there is a renewed interest because of the seriousness of the situation and the challenges. I think that is because of the threat of terrorism, the threat of the renewal of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, has become a serious, serious concern to the US,” the Iraqi foreign minister said, as quoted by AP. 

Next on RT

Depleted uranium used by US forces blamed for birth defects and cancer in Iraq

Cancer is more common than flu in the Iraqi city of Najaf, a local medics told RT. While doctors say the government discourages them from talking openly to the press on the disease, local families are scared of having more kids with birth defects.

Rates of leukemia and birth defects “rose dramatically” due to use of depleted uranium by the US military since 2003 invasion. 

“After the start of the Iraq war, rates of cancer, leukemia and birth defects rose dramatically in Najaf. The areas affected by American attacks saw the biggest increases. We believe it’s because of the' illegal' weapons like depleted uranium that were used by the Americans. When you visit the hospital here you see that cancer is more common than the flu," Dr. Sundus Nsaif tells RT's Lucy Kafanov while talking on the rooftop of her house in Najaf, instead of her laboratory. Why the secrecy? As she reveals, there’s an active push by the government perhaps not to embarrass the coalition forces, not to really talk about this issue.

RT crew went to the city of Najaf about 160 km south of Baghdad that saw one of the most severe military actions during the US's invasion. Now every residential street in several neighborhoods that RT visited has multiple cases of families whose children were ill, families who had lost children who had to bury children, families who had many relatives who were suffering from cancer.

“The war isn’t over. Yes, the Americans are gone, but we are still suffering from the Consequences," said Leila Jabar, whose three children died because they were born with congenital deformities. She blames radioactive ammunition used by American forces during the war for  the health problems of her children. Her only surviving 8-months-old son Ahmed has a nervous system disorder and doctors don't expect him to survive his first birthday. 

Dr. Chris Busby has researched the effects of depleted uranium in detail. He says the only source of uranium in Iraq was the use by the American-led forces of uranium weapons.

“We went to Fallujah and we found the levels of cancer. We looked at the parents of children with congenital malformation and we did analysis of their hair to see what was inside their hair that might be genotoxic, that might be the sort of thing that can cause congenital malformation. The only thing that we found was uranium. We found uranium in the mothers of the children with congenital malformations,” he told RT...........................

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Irak - Quand la France dit non a l'Amerique

Irak 2003 : Guerre, mensonges et vidéo

Cliquer ici pour voir la vidéo.