[Vision2020] Photos of Buried Jet in Iraq being Uncovered
Ron Force
rforce@moscow.com
Fri, 23 Apr 2004 16:49:47 -0700
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You may not remember, but it occured in August of 2003. Here's the story
from the Times of London, as reprinted.
Calgary Herald (Alberta, Canada)
August 2, 2003 Saturday Final Edition
Times of London
Stephen Farrell
AL-TAQQADUM, Iraq
Beneath the sands of western Iraq, the last remnants of the once-feared
Iraqi Air Force have been found buried, following an attempt to conceal them
from American reconnaissance planes and satellites.
Soviet-made MiGs and Sukhoi ground attack jets were among the wrecks
discovered at the remote air base of al-Taqqadum, west of Falluja, where
coalition forces found the jets beneath tons of desert soil and camouflage
netting, their entire fuselages concealed.
At least one MiG-25 interceptor was found because searchers saw its
distinctive twin tail fins protruding from the sand, Pentagon officials
said.
Some had been wrapped in plastic sheeting to insulate their delicate
electronics and machinery from the sand. Others had little protection from
the elements, officials said.
Although the remnants of Saddam's estimated 300-strong combat aircraft fleet
are not weapons of mass destruction, Porter Goss, chairman of the US House
Intelligence Committee, said that their concealment showed the lengths to
which Saddam's regime had gone to hide its armaments.
"Our guys have found 30-something brand new aircraft buried in the sand to
deny us access to them," he said. "These are craft we didn't know about.
They are weapons (Iraq) tried to hide."
The air force base is in a sandy wasteland off the main Baghdad to Jordan
highway, surrounded by high dunes and sheltered from the few Iraqi
settlements nearby. The western desert was the focus of intense U.S.-led
search-and destroy activity in the early days of the war, with fears that
its vast spaces held mobile Scud missile launchers, aircraft or drones to
repeat Saddam's missile attacks on Israel during the first Gulf War, or to
launch a chemical or biological strike.
The Iraqi Air Force did not feature in this war, coalition forces long
having established control of the skies in the region with no-fly zones.
**********************************************
Ron Force Moscow ID USA
rforce@moscow.com
(**********************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On
Behalf Of DonaldH675@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 4:31 PM
To: pkraut@moscow.com; vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Photos of Buried Jet in Iraq being Uncovered
Just curious Ms. Kraut. Could you cite the source for the article?
Rose Huskey
Once you lose integrity everything else is easy.
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<DIV><SPAN class=3D468264523-23042004>You may not remember, but it =
occured in=20
August of 2003. Here's the story from the Times of London, as=20
reprinted.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D468264523-23042004></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D468264523-23042004></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><!--StartFragment --> </DIV>
<CENTER>Calgary Herald (Alberta, Canada)</CENTER>
<CENTER><BR class=3Dbr>August 2, 2003 Saturday Final Edition</CENTER>
<DIV> Times of London<BR class=3Dbr>Stephen Farrell<BR class=3Dbr></DIV>
<DIV> AL-TAQQADUM, Iraq</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=3Dbr>Beneath the sands of western Iraq, the last remnants =
of the=20
once-feared Iraqi Air Force have been found <B>buried,</B> following an =
attempt=20
to conceal them from American reconnaissance planes and satellites.<BR=20
class=3Dbr><BR class=3Dbr>Soviet-made MiGs and Sukhoi ground attack =
<B>jets</B> were=20
among the wrecks discovered at the remote air base of al-Taqqadum, west =
of=20
Falluja, where coalition forces found the <B>jets</B> beneath tons of =
desert=20
soil and camouflage netting, their entire fuselages concealed.<BR =
class=3Dbr><BR=20
class=3Dbr>At least one MiG-25 interceptor was found because searchers =
saw its=20
distinctive twin tail fins protruding from the sand, Pentagon officials =
said.=20
<BR class=3Dbr><BR class=3Dbr>Some had been wrapped in plastic sheeting =
to insulate=20
their delicate electronics and machinery from the sand. Others had =
little=20
protection from the elements, officials said.<BR class=3Dbr><BR =
class=3Dbr>Although=20
the remnants of Saddam's estimated 300-strong combat aircraft fleet are =
not=20
weapons of mass destruction, Porter Goss, chairman of the US House =
Intelligence=20
Committee, said that their concealment showed the lengths to which =
Saddam's=20
regime had gone to hide its armaments.<BR class=3Dbr><BR class=3Dbr>"Our =
guys have=20
found 30-something brand new aircraft <B>buried</B> in the sand to deny =
us=20
access to them," he said. "These are craft we didn't know about. They =
are=20
weapons (Iraq) tried to hide."<BR class=3Dbr><BR class=3Dbr>The air =
force base is in=20
a sandy wasteland off the main Baghdad to Jordan highway, surrounded by =
high=20
dunes and sheltered from the few Iraqi settlements nearby. The western =
desert=20
was the focus of intense U.S.-led search-and destroy activity in the =
early days=20
of the war, with fears that its vast spaces held mobile Scud missile =
launchers,=20
aircraft or drones to repeat Saddam's missile attacks on Israel during =
the first=20
Gulf War, or to launch a chemical or biological strike.<BR =
class=3Dbr><BR=20
class=3Dbr>The Iraqi Air Force did not feature in this war, coalition =
forces long=20
having established control of the skies in the region with no-fly =
zones.<BR=20
class=3Dbr></DIV>
<P>**********************************************<BR>Ron=20
Force Moscow =
ID <SPAN=20
class=3D468264523-23042004>USA</SPAN></P>
<P> <A href=3D"mailto:rforce@moscow.com">rforce@<SPAN=20
class=3D468264523-23042004>moscow.com</A></SPAN><BR>(********************=
**************************=20
</P>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT=20
face=3DTahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>=20
vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]<B>On =
Behalf=20
Of </B>DonaldH675@aol.com<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, April 23, 2004 4:31=20
PM<BR><B>To:</B> pkraut@moscow.com; =
vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B>Subject:</B>=20
Re: [Vision2020] Photos of Buried Jet in Iraq being=20
Uncovered<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Just curious Ms. Kraut. Could you cite the source for the=20
article?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rose Huskey</DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=3D0 face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3 PTSIZE=3D"12"=20
FAMILY=3D"SERIF">Once you lose integrity everything else is=20
easy.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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