Former Saddam advisor says Iraq had WMDs
Posted on Monday, January 12, 2009
Daily Record photograph by David Frank Dempsey Georges Sada, former Iraqi Air Force General and advisor to Saddam Hussein, told listeners that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were shipped into Syria in 2002.
ROGERS - A former advisor to Saddam Hussein told the congregation of a local church that weapons of mass destruction not only existed, but were transported to Syria before the invasion of Iraq.
Georges Sada, retired general officer of the Iraqi Air Force, spoke at Rogers First Church of the Nazarene on Sunday morning to discuss his relationship with Hussein from his rise to power in the late 1960s until the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Sada retired from the Air Force in 1986 but was asked to return for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. He was imprisoned in 1991 for refusing to execute prisoners of war, and discharged from the Air Force.
On Sunday, said he saw firsthand evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
"There was a time when Saddam possessed chemical weapons. I am so sorry that Americans and many in authority said there were never weapons of mass destruction," he said.
Sada said that in 2002, Iraq sent humanitarian aid by air and ground to Syria following a natural disaster. During this time, all weapons of mass destruction were flown to Damascus during this time - prior to the invasion.
However, the Duelfer report, released by the Iraq Survey Group in 2004, found no evidence of any program to ship weapons to Syria.
Sada said he believes the occupation of Iraq was also the right thing to do. He explained that Saddam was urged to leave the country or face an occupation. It was only when Saddam refused to leave that action was taken.
"Iraq in 2003 was liberated," he said. "All steps of peace were taken for war not to happen."
It's been a hard road, Sada said, and there is still much work to be done.
"It was very tough; the country was completely destroyed ... freedom was given to the Iraqis on a gold platter. Instead of loving each other, they are killing each other."
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
