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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA 'OWN GOALS' IN THE GWOT
Claims and counter claims made during the media war over Iraq from The Guardian 
War Watch Claims and counter claims made during the media war over Iraq Annie Lawson, Lisa O'Carroll, Chris Tryhorn, Jason Deans Friday April 11, 2003 "Fog" is the watchword of this war, with the lines between fact and propaganda being blurred on a daily basis. The demands of round-the-clock news means military claims are being relayed instantly to millions without being confirmed or verified only to be refuted later by reporters on the ground or by fresh military updates. In due course, questions will be asked about the clashing interests of the military and the media and the role of war propaganda in the pursuit of a swift victory against Saddam Hussein's regime. Umm Qasr was "taken" at least nine times before it was...taken. An uprising in Basra evaporated without trace. Chemical Ali may or may not have been found dead. And most extraordinarily today, it transpires that the Saddam torture morgue seized upon by troops as evidence of the regime's horrors may in fact be completely erroneous. The Iraqis said they were victims of the Iran-Iraq war and it looks as if they may be telling the truth. Here MediaGuardian.co.uk charts the contradictory claims and counter claims made so far. Anyone who can point to other war claims that don't bear scrutiny, please email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk. PALESTINE HOTEL STRIKE Claim Tuesday April 8, 9.30am David Chater of Sky News believes the US attacked press hotel in Baghdad. Although he did not witness the tank shooting, he saw the barrel aiming for the hotel before he fled for cover: "That tank shell, if it was an American tank shell, was aimed directly at this hotel and directly at journalists. This wasn't an accident. It seems to be a very accurate shot." Claim confirmed Tuesday April 8, 10.05am A Pentagon spokesman blames a suspected Iraqi sniper attack for the US air raid on the Palestine Hotel which killed two journalists, injuring more. Claims reiterated All day a series of army commanders back up the claims. At US Central Command in Qatar, US Brigadeer General Vincent Brooks said coalition forces "took fire from lobby of the hotel and returned fire." Later a second commander said they had seen men on the roof with "binoculars" surveying their positions. Counter claim Tuesday April 8, 5.30pm BBC correspondent Andrew Gilligan casts doubt on whether the missile was fired by a US tank, speculating that Iraqi soldiers may have launched the lethal attack. After examining the scene, he concluded it was virtually impossible for the US tank to have fired on the 15th floor room. "I have to say I rather doubt it and, having been underneath it and looking up now just before it got dark at the hole again in the side of the hotel, I still doubt it," he said. "Secondly the angle that the tank would have to have reached to hit that roof, it would more or less have had to have shot just round the corner - and I don't think even the Americans have got those kinds of weapons." Gilligan's claims backed up Wednesday April 9, 7.34pm An Israeli website claims intelligence sources have since discovered that the shell did not come from a US tank. It alleges the explosion came from above the 15th floor, where the journalists were killed, and was rigged and planted by Iraqi military intelligence. According to the website, Debka.com, The US command quickly assumed responsibility to defuse tensions from irate members of the press. SADDAM - DEAD OR ALIVE? Claim Tuesday April 8, 5am Saddam Hussein declared dead in early reports by US intelligence. The dictator was apparently killed in a US air-strike as he dined with his two sons in a bunker joined to a Baghdad restaurant. "There's a strong chance we got Saddam and probably both of his sons," a senior US official says. Admission Tuesday April 8, 11.52am US President George Bush forced to water down early claims that Saddam is dead. "I don't know if he survived. The only thing I know is he is losing power." More equivocation Tuesday April 8, 1.11pm The world will have to wait to find out whether Saddam has died, US Brigadier General Vincente Brookes proclaims."It's possible we may never be able to determine exactly who was present without some detailed forensic work," he said. Not dead after all Wednesday April 9 While one British newspaper splashes with the headline "Got Him", British intelligence contradicts earlier claims. The Guardian, the Sun and several other papers report that "human intelligence" sources as opposed to eavesdropping devices has given rise to fears that Saddam left restaurant minutes before the attack. SADDAM TORTURE MORGUE Claim Saturday April 5, 10.53am British soldiers discover hundreds of bodies in a southern Iraq warehouse, believed to have been tortured and executed many years ago. Dozens of wooden coffins are filled with the remains of an estimated 200 people. Troops also discover catalogues of grisly photographs of slain men, leading to speculation that the site was used as a torture and execution ground for dissident Iraqis opposed to Saddam Hussein's regime. Later, human rights organisations point to the discovery of new army shirts in bags. They say this adds to speculation that soldiers lived in the warehouse until recently and used the site to execute Saddam's opponents. Counter claim Saturday April 5, 12.47pm Arab television news channel al-Jazeera quotes an unnamed Iraqi official in Basra who insists the remains were those of Iraqi soldiers killed in the 1980-88 war with Iran. The official said the start of the US-led war prevented authorities from returning the bodies to their families. Iraqi skeletons turn out to be Iranian Sunday April 6, 6.06pm Forensic experts and criminal investigators determine that the injuries on the corpses appears to be war-related, contradicting speculation that the site was the scene of major atrocities. Preliminary investigations show that 85 percent of the corpses are Iraqi, and the rest Iranian, vindicating Iraqi claims that the bodies were that of soldiers killed in the Iran-Iraq war. The findings also dampen speculation that the warehouse was filled with dead Kuwaiti soldiers captured during the Gulf War in 1991. THE SEARCH FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONRY Claim Friday April 4, 2.08pm The discovery of thousands of boxes containing vials of unidentified liquid and powder, as well as manuals on chemical warfare, at a plant south-west of Baghdad again fuels claims that Iraq is harbouring outlawed chemical weapons. "We know that the Iraqis have conducted chemical training," a US officer said. The US military has yet to find any evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction following a series of false alarms. Claim reinforced Saturday April 5, 5.34am An unnamed US military source reiterates his belief that banned chemical weapons will be discovered."We are confident we are going to find weapons of mass destruction," he said. "Does not appear to be a chemical weapon" Saturday April 5, 10.28am First round of tests reveal the powder substance is not a chemical weapon. "On first analysis it does not appear to be a chemical that could be used in a chemical weapons attack," Colonel John Peabody, commander of the Engineer Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, told Reuters. More evidence Monday April 7, 2.29am American soldiers in Iraq's Karbala area find several suspicious barrels at an abandoned military training camp and an agricultural warehouse. Preliminary tests reveal they contain toxic chemical agents including nerve gas and mustard gas, according to early reports by military officials. "We're treating it as real, we're reporting it as real," one official said. Later that day, US military spokesman Captain Frank Thorp insists Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. "We are certain we are going to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq but we should be careful," he said. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged reports about the site but cautions first reports often are incorrect. Evidence challenged Monday April 7, 12.14pm A US general warns tests could show that the suspicious material found at the sites could have a less sinister purpose. "This could be either some type of pesticide, because this was an agricultural compound," General Benjamin Freakly told CNN. "On the other hand, it could be a chemical agent, not weaponised." Search continues Monday April 7, 9pm US National Public Radio airs reports of a separate discovery of potentially banned chemical weapons. US forces discover a weapons cache of around 20 medium-range missiles, equipped with potent chemical weapons that could provide the evidence needed to justify the invasion of Iraq. The weapons cache was apparently found by US marines travelling with the 101st Airborne division and the missiles reportedly equipped with sarin and mustard gas, and were ready to fire. Divisional officers unable to confirm report and US central command declines to comment. CLOSING IN ON CHEMICAL ALI Friday April 4, 6.34am Reports emerge that British forces storm a compound used by Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as 'Chemical Ali' for his role in using chemical weapons against Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988. Troops discover a portrait of al-Majid standing behind his cousin, President Saddam Hussein, in the empty compound. Saturday April 5, 4.26pm US-led forces bomb the Basra home of Chemical Ali, who was put in charge of Iraq's southern front by President Saddam. A military statement reports that two aircraft hit his house with laser-guided munitions early on Saturday. Sunday April 6, 10.11am US military claim to have found the bodies of Chemical Ali's bodyguards in a house in Basra that was bombed on Saturday. They are checking to see if Chemical Ali is among the dead. Monday April 7, 9.40am Sky television runs reports that the body of Chemical Ali has been found, quoting a British military official. Monday April 7, 12.34pm British officials back down from the premature claims of Chemical Ali's demise, saying they cannot yet confirm his death. Asked about the commander's fate, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks said: "We have no confirmed report on the condition of the man referred to as Chemical Ali. We believe we have found the body of Chemical Ali however we need to get that confirmed." Monday April 7, 5.20pm British Major Andrew Jackson, of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, confirms that the body of Chemical Ali had been found during a war briefing. However, the army confirmed his identity is not clear. BAGHDAD ADVANCE Twenty miles from the city Wednesday April 2 4.21pm Early reports place the US troops within 20 miles of Baghdad from both the south-west and the south-east. Still 20 miles away Wednesday April 2 10.51pm Advanced units of the US ground forces are still reportedly within 20 miles of the Iraqi capital. Twenty-five miles away Thursday April 3 8.56am A military source with the Third Infantry reports units are just 20 miles from the southern edges of Baghdad. Forces heading up the Tigris valley from the south-east are reportedly as close as 25 miles to the city. Six miles away Thursday April 3, 10am US troops are within six miles of the southern edge of Baghdad and meet less resistance than expected as they prepare to fight for control of the city's airport, US officials report. Nowhere near Thursday April 3 12.38pm Iraq's information minister dismisses as "silly" reports that US troops are closing in on Baghdad and taking up positions near its airport. Asked about the progress of US soldiers, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf says: "They are nowhere near Baghdad." Ten or four miles away? Friday April 4 6.01am US soldiers reportedly seize Baghdad airport, putting them 10 miles from the capital after a fierce battle with Iraqi fighters. But the number of miles between the forces and the city remains in dispute as other reports say the coalition's advance units are four miles from the edge of the capital. CLUSTER BOMBS Denial number one Thursday April 3 12.43am It is reported that B-52s have dropped cluster bombs on an Iraqi tank column guarding Baghdad, the first time such bombs have been used during the conflict. US and British commanders insist they would not drop cluster bombs, which spread a shower of "bomblets" that explode on impact or when they are touched on the ground. They are controversial because they can cause widespread injuries to civilians. Denial number two Thursday April 3 10.46am British military commanders deny media reports that they are using cluster bombs in and around Basra. "I can categorically state that British forces are not using any type of cluster munitions, either from the air or with artillery," British military spokesman Colonel Chris Vernon tells a briefing at war headquarters in Qatar. Challenge Thursday April 3 12.28pm Iraq's information minister accuses US forces of using cluster bombs on Baghdad on Thursday, killing 14 people and wounding 66. "This morning, these criminals dropped cluster bombs on the Douri residential area of Baghdad and 14 people - men, women and children - were martyred and 66 were wounded," Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf tells a news conference. Admission Friday April 4 10.13am The UK defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, defends the use of cluster bombs in Iraq and says ruling out their use would place British troops at risk. Coalition forces are anxious to minimise civilian casualties but cluster bombs are legal and play a legitimate role, he says. "The very strong military advice is that they are essential," he tells the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "They fulfil a particular role on the battlefield and if we did not use them we would be putting our own forces at greater and, therefore, unnecessary risk." CHECKPOINT DEATHS Monday March 31 10.55pm US troops open fire on a car at checkpoint near Kerbala, killing seven Iraqi women and children and wounding two. Four other women or children were huddled in the vehicle, unhurt, according to a Central Command spokesman in Qatar. He claims the driver had ignored warning shots fired by troops at the checkpoint. "As a last resort the soldiers fired into the passenger compartment of the vehicle," the spokesman said. Tuesday April 1, 1.49am Military officials insist driver failed to heed a signal to stop and that the soldiers had followed correct checkpoint procedures. In a statement released soon after the incident, US troops are said to be edgier following A suicide bomb attack that killed four soldiers at another checkpoint. "In light of recent terrorist attacks by the Iraqi regime, the soldiers exercised considerable restraint to avoid the unnecessary loss of life," the statement said. Pentagon promises to investigate the incident. Tuesday April 1, 4.45am The Washington Post, whose reporter William Branigin is embedded with the 3rd Infantry, reports on its website that 15 people were in the car and 10 were killed, including five children under five. The report quotes 3rd Infantry Division Captain Ronny Johnson as saying the checkpoint crew did not fire warning shots quickly enough despite ordering them to do so earlier. Troops pepper the car with cannon fire shots after it failed to stop. Johnson orders them to cease firing and shouts to the platoon leader, "You just fucking killed a family because you didn't fire a warning shot soon enough." Tuesday April 1, 1.04pm Pentagon officials insist their initial account of the incident is correct and that warning shots were fired. "I'm sure that these soldiers were doing a good job," said one official. "It's very tragic, but they acted in an appropriate way." HUMAN SHIELD BUS ATTACKS Claim Tuesday April 1 12.52pm Iraq reports that US warplanes attack two buses bringing American and European peace activists to Baghdad from neighbouring Jordan. The information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, tells a news conference the injured are being treated in a hospital near the Jordanian border. "Yesterday an American warplane attacked two buses on the highway between Amman and Baghdad with foreign passengers, among them Americans," Mr Sahaf says, adding Europeans had also been on board. "These were human shields who were coming to Baghdad to be deployed... many of them were injured and taken to hospital at Rutba," he adds. "The brave Americans start shooting Americans." Counter claim Tuesday April 1 3.05pm US brigadier general Vincent Brooks claims he knows nothing of the attacks during a news conference at Qatar central command headquarters. Three Jordanian men at the Iraq-Jordan border, who said they had travelled from Baghdad on Tuesday, claim they had not seen any buses that had been hit recently. They say the only charred bus along the route was Syrian and had been bombed some time ago. TERROR CAMP Claim Thursday March 27 12.59am US President George Bush says US troops had destroyed a terrorist camp in northern Iraq but fails to elaborate during a briefing about the progress of the Iraqi invasion. "Day by day, Saddam Hussein is losing his grip on Iraq," Bush said. Claim reinforced Sunday March 30 5.07pm More reports that allied forces secure much of north of Iraq and overrun a notorious terrorist camp alleged to be a haven for al-Qaida militants. Washington accuses the Ansar al-Islam group, believed to be behind the camp, of working to make chemical weapons with help from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. Claim amplified Monday 31 March Papers report that US forces seize the chemical weapons training camp in Ansar al-Islam, in northern Iraq. Sun splashes with the story and says war justified now that Saddam Hussein's weapons of horror had been discovered. Veteran UK intelligence expert Chris Dobson says the deadly poison ricin found recently in London most likely came from the camp and was evidence of Saddam's links with terrorists intent on striking Britain. Admission claim never verified Tuesday April 1 1.39pm A US commander in the Gulf, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks, tells a news conference that troops had yet to find any banned weapons of mass destruction in captured Iraqi territory. US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld says Iraq's banned weapons are stockpiled in Baghdad and Tikrit. EVIDENCE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONRY Claim Monday March 31 1.38pm Chemical protection suits and decontamination equipment found among a large Iraqi arms cache seized near the city of Nassiriya. "The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force seized a large weapons cache, about 40 buildings worth, containing ammunition, chemical decontamination equipment...chemical suits and unidentified artillery munitions," Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told a central command briefing in Qatar. Slight back-pedalling Monday March 31, 4pm British Armed Forces minister Adam Ingram forced to backtrack on claims. Queried about reports that troops had stumbled across firm evidence, he initially said: "We have discovered stocks of chemical weapons and other aspects related to nuclear, biological and chemical threats". Responding to concerned rumblings from MPs, he modified his claims to say he was referring to the discovery of protective suits left behind by Iraqi forces. He said: "Well, OK, certainly chemical and biological threats in terms of those particular suits. "He has the capability. That is why we're there in the first instance and it must remain our assessment that he has an intent to use those weapons he has," he said. The suits were dated September 2001, a date seized upon as evidence that Saddam was preparing for chemical warfare. He was pressed by Labour's Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow), who asked: "How many sites identified by US or UK intelligence as having stocks of chemical weapons stored have so far been inspected and what has been found?" Mr Ingram told him: "That type of verification is not yet available to us. I just hope you share my views on this that Saddam Hussein has been developing that capability. That was the conclusion of Hans Blix in the document he produced on March 7 ... it is only a matter of time before we find those weapons and verify accordingly." IRAQI GENERAL CAPTURED Claim Sunday March 30, 11.21am British forces claim they have captured an Iraqi general following clashes with Iraqi units south of Basra. Group Captain Al Lockwood at central command war headquarters in Qatar confirms this on Sunday. "I don't know what unit [he was from]. I do know that we have a general," he said. Plans Sunday March 30, 1.05pm Lockwood says the general, believed to be the highest ranking prisoner of war caught so far, will be pressed for strategic information. "We'll be asking him quite politely if he's willing assist us to continue our operations against the paramilitary forces in Basra," he said. Challenge Sunday March 30, 6.39pm Qatar-based satellite television channel al-Jazeera later quotes Lieutenant-General Walid Hamid Tawfiq, an Iraqi field commander in the Basra region, as denying that a general had been captured and a colonel killed. Confession Monday March 31, 12.55am Military officials in Britain retract their earlier claims. "We do not have a prisoner of war of general rank," a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said. British military spokesman Major Will MacKinlay blames the confusion on "the fog of war" in an earlier interview on BBC television. Explanation Monday March 31, 9.18am A British military spokesman says the captured Iraqi was "just another officer" and was "misidentified as a general". Asked how the mistake was discovered, he said: "We just got feedback through the channel of command." BASRA TANK COLUMN Claim Wednesday March 26 6.54pm Reports emerge that a column of up to 120 Iraqi tanks and armoured personnel carriers heading south out of the Iraqi city of Basra is attacked by US-led forces. Major Mick Green, the officer commanding the 40 Commandos' battle room, said: "We have no idea why this column has come out at the moment. Their intentions or motives are totally unclear but they have adopted an offensive posture and do not want to surrender, so we have attacked them." Click here for original report Details Thursday March 27 6.55am Newspapers including the Guardian are filled with graphic accounts of the battle between British tanks and Iraqi armour. A US forces official claims "a lot of the column was repelled and destroyed". The Guardian among others reports that the emergence of the column took British commanders by surprise. More details and colour Thursday March 27 8.51am A BBC correspondent with British marines south of Basra estimates the size of the convoy is up to 120 vehicles and says the battle raged through the night. "Many tanks have been destroyed, many are on fire now," Clive Myrie reports. "Every now and again the area here shakes with the thud of missiles and bombs going into that column." Earlier British officials dismiss as erroneous reports that the column involved 120 Iraqi tanks. Thursday March 27 14.11pm All the Iraqi tanks were destroyed in the fighting that followed. A military source said: "It was 14-0." The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards also overran two Iraqi infantry positions, the sources said. One officer said of the contest between the T55 and Challenger 2: "It's like the bicycle against the motor car." Brigadier General Vince Brooks, the deputy director of operations, admits initial reports suggesting a convoy of up to 120 vehicles was erroneous. He put it down to a "classic example of the fog of war" resulting from a wrong radar signal. Friday March 28 Daily Star splashes with the "14-0" comment. Several other papers including the Sun report the officers bicycle simile. MASSACRE OF TRIBESPEOPLE Claim March 27, 2pm Several hundred tribespeople are reported to have died at the hands of Iraqi forces in a village near Kirkuk, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. Follow-up March 28 No further mention of the massacre - anywhere. SCUD UPDATE New challenge Thursday March 27, 17.42pm Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix says there is no evidence the Iraqis had used banned weapons in the week-old war. "So far we have not identified or heard from the allies that anything that was proscribed would have been used," he said. Blix's comment contradicted a statement by Kuwait's UN ambassador Mohammad Abulhasan in a letter to the security council, which claimed that at least one of 11 missiles fired by Iraq into Kuwait between Thursday and Monday was a Scud missile. SCUDS Claim Thursday, March 20, 10.15am An Iraqi Scud missile fired at US troops on the Kuwaiti border was intercepted by Patriot missiles, the US military says. Reports of Scud attacks widespread. Confession Sunday, March 23, 4.30am US general Stanley McChrystal says: "So far there have been no Scuds launched... We have found no caches of weapons of mass destruction to date." BASRA UPDATE - HOW THE UPRISING EVAPORATED Claims Wednesday, March 26, 23.01pm "Some people are saying there were demonstrations that were put down, but others say parts of Basra are now controlled by the people," said Hamed al-Bayati, Sciri's London representative, reports the Financial Times. "We're not sure who is behind it." Pan-Arab television stations on Wednesday showed footage from a quiet city. Counter claim March 26, 23.01pm But Shi'ite officials said journalists were not free to roam the streets of Basra and might have been shown areas that had indeed remained calm. Claim and counter claim Thursday, March 27, 8.51am British officials insist there was an uprising on Tuesday but a spokesman for Iraq's main Shi'ite exile opposition group said he would not go so far as to describe the unrest in that way. And British claim again Thursday, March 27, 9.32am British forces spokesman Group Captain Al Lockwood declares the city quiet following the "popular uprising" on Tuesday. BASRA UPRISING NUMBER 1 Claims Tuesday, March 25, 5.30pm Widespread media reports of a popular uprising against President Saddam Hussein in Iraq's second city of Basra, believed to have originated from military sources. Follows reports from GMTV pool reporter Richard Gaisford. Challenge Tuesday, March 25, 6.10pm British military sources say they are unable to confirm reports of any popular uprising in Basra, but reiterate that they would do everything possible to encourage and support any Iraqis planning to overthrow forces loyal to Saddam."We don't know anything about a popular uprising," said one British military source in Central Command in Qatar. 'Hallucinations' Tuesday, March 25, 7.44pm Iraq's information minister denies the reports, calling them "hallucinations". "I want to affirm to you that Basra is continuing to hold steadfast," Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf told the Arabic language al-Jazeera television network. Confirmation Wednesday, March 26, 2.27am A British spokesman at US Central Command headquarters in Qatar says it appears there has been an uprising. "We don't have a clear indication of its scale or scope or where it will take us. But we will want to support it to exploit its potential. It looks like this uprising is based on the massive resentment of the population." Challenge Wednesday, March, 7.40am An Al-Jazeera reporter, who is stationed behind coalition lines in Basra, says he has no evidence of an uprising. He says the city is crawling with Iraqi military and the streets are littered with shrapnel. Claims again Wednesday, March 26, 12.30pm British prime minister Tony Blair says he believes there has been a limited uprising overnight. "In relation to what has happened in Basra overnight, truthfully reports are confused, but we believe there was some limited form of uprising," he told the House of Commons. BASRA, MARCH 25th WHEN AN HOUR IS ALONG TIME Claim Tuesday, March 25, 8.13am Reuters: "British military spokesman confirmed on Tuesday British troops were probably going to go into Basra to battle irregular fighters resisting US-led invasion forces in Iraq's second city. "We are meeting resistance from irregulars, members of the Fedayeen, who are extremely loyal to Saddam Hussein's regime," group captain Al Lockwood told CNN television. "They are lightly armed, and very small in number, but they are terrorising the citizens of Basra and we will probably need to go in and meet any resistance." Counter claim Tuesday, March 25, 9.16am Reuters: a British spokesman said on Tuesday British troops would not enter the southern city of Basra to battle irregular Iraqi fighters - contradicting an earlier statement. But the British did consider Basra a military target. "We're not going into Basra, it's simply considered a target," a British military spokesman at Central Command headquarters in Qatar told Reuters. "The reason it is a potential target is because it has an enormous political and military importance in the area." CHEMICAL WEAPONS FACTORY: NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T Claims Monday, March 24, 1.33am Reports surface that US forces find first cache of Saddam's chemical and biological weapons, seizing a suspected chemical factory in An Najaf. This would be a significant PR coup for Messrs Bush and Blair who justified their launch of war on the grounds that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Fox News and the Jerusalem Post, which had a reporter travelling with US troops, both quote unidentified Pentagon officials who said the facility was seized by US forces. About 30 Iraqi troops and their commanding general surrendered as American forces took the installation, apparently used to produce chemical weapons, according to the Jerusalem Post. It was not immediately clear what chemicals were being produced at the facility. Officials caution it is too premature to conclude that forbidden weapons had been discovered but US central command says it is examining several sites of interest. Claims Monday, March 24, 2.42am General Richard Myers, chairman of joint chiefs of staff, claims US commamdos found documents along with millions of rounds of ammunition on Saturday, saying the discovery "might save thousands of lives if we can find out exactly what they have". We're not sure Monday, March 24, 2.44pm General Tommy Franks, head of the coalition forces, claims he "wasn't entirely sure" that it was a chemical factory after all. Fox News forced to back away from the story. Iraq denies it has chemical or biological weapons. UMM QASR Claim Thursday, March 20, 7.33pm US-led troops have taken Iraqi border town of Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deep-water port in the south, wires and TV report. Counter claim TV reporters, including Mark Austin on ITV's News Channel, challenge the claims. They have it on Iraqi authority that Umm Qasr has certainly not been taken. "Iraqi troops deny anyone has surrendered." Confirmation Friday , March 21, 11.35pm Admiral Michael Boyce, chief of the British defence staff, confirms the off-the-record briefings received by media in Kuwait and southern Iraq. "Umm Qasr has been overwhelmed by the US Marines and now is in coalition hands," he says. Further confirmation Friday, March 21, just after midnight US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld says US forces have taken Umm Qasr. The fog of war thickens. Challenge Saturday, March 22, breakfast time TV reporters on Sky and BBC say Umm Qasr have witnessed fighting and dispute claims that the port has been has been "taken". They explain the new town is under coalition control but the old town is putting up resistance and therefore Umm Qasr cannot qualify as "taken". Challenged again Sunday, March 23, 05.53am A heavy firefight breaks out between US Marines and Iraqi forces, witnesses say. Confirmation again Tuesday, March 25, 9.53am Reuters: "The southern Iraqi port town of Umm Qasr, where US and British forces have faced Iraqi resistance for days, is now "safe and open", a British commander said on Tuesday. Brigadier Jim Dutton, commander of the British Royal Marines' 3rd Commando Brigade, told reporters he hoped the first ship bringing aid to Iraq would arrive within 48 hours." NASSIRIYA Claim Saturday, March 22, 11.12pm US forces have captured Nassiriya in central Iraq, according to wire reports from Iraq. Fresh claim Sunday, March 23, 1.30am US forces say they have captured Nassiriya, international wire services report. Alternative claim Sunday, March 23, 10.21am US-led forces suffer heaviest casualties so far with stiff resistance at Nassiriya, Najaf, Basra and Umm Qasr. Exasperation begins to show Sunday, March 23, 5.50pm Defence analyst Francis Tusa says on Sky News: "We have now been told three times that Nassiriya has been captured. How many more times are we going to hear this?" Battle goes on Monday, March 24, 11.43am US Marines were still bogged down early on Monday at the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya, the key to opening a second route north to Baghdad, after taking significant casualties there on Sunday. 51st DIVISION Claim Friday night, March 21 Wires, TV and radio report official claims that coalition commanders have accepted the surrender of the 8,000-strong 51st Iraqi infantry division near the southern city of Basra on Friday. Counter claim Sunday March 23, 10.33pm Reuters: "Iraqi officials denied US statements that the US commander of the Iraqi divison had surrendered, which US officials said on Friday." Counter claim number 2 Monday, March 24, 3.22am New York Times wire service: "US officials were quick to announce the surrender of the commander of the 51st Division. On Sunday they discovered that the 'commander' of the surrendered troops was actually a junior officer masquerading as a higher-up in an attempt to win better treatment." GRENADE ATTACKER Claim Sunday, March 23, 12.10am Ten US soldiers were wounded in an attack on Camp Pennsylvania, a military base in northern Kuwait, a US military spokesman said, without giving further details. Jim Lacey, a Time magazine correspondent who was at the camp, told CNN two grenades had been rolled into the command tent in what appeared to be a "terrorist attack". The report gives way to instant discussions of al-Qaida terrorist cells operating in Kuwait. Details of attacker change Sunday, March 23, 12.40am Sky News says the suspect for the attack is a US soldier, later revealed as Asan Akbar, who was born Mark F Kools. But the information hasn't filtered through everywhere. The BBC's Radio 5 Live still discussing the terrorist attack on the 1.00am news on Radio 5 Live. |