Can anyone fill me in on the 30 MIGs found burried??

I would like to respond to this letter to the editor - but the 30 MIGs are news to me. Thanks in advance.


Regarding the front-page article ("The case for war in Iraq hollow," Aug. 10), - whatever. Really, this is just another hit piece repeating the mantra(s) that there was no evidence, there was no imminent threat, it was all lies, etc., ad nauseam.

This proves nothing more than that hindsight is 20/20, and reading this stuff is getting to be a bit old.

The press has barely mentioned the 30 or so MIGs found buried in the sand, apparently stowed away for future use by Saddam. Why is it so difficult to comprehend that finding much smaller and more easily hidden weapons will take some time?

Saddam Hussein is an obvious nutcase, and made little effort to lead us to believe he did not have devilish weapons, apparently to feed his own warped ego. Based on what we knew, or thought we knew, at the time, taking down his hellish regime was the right thing to do.

Now, on to North Korea. Is there an imminent threat to us? What is imminent - when Los Angeles is vaporized? Why wait to find out? After we take that regime apart based on what the North Koreans have freely told the world, will the president's critics find a way to skewer him after the fact again? I'll bet they will. Anyone want to bet me?

Because I don't see how sand in their components is going to leave them battle ready.

the old Iraqi airforce. Most of the planes were sent to Iran in Gulf War I, and are currently being used by them.

The rest were junkers for the most part, cannibalized for parts, and just parked.

Sand and stuff has blown over them after all these years. I don't know that there was any attempt to hide them as they are useless. And if they weren't then...they are by now.

We've known about them all these years, so this isn't any new and amazing discovery.

Stories I heard led me to believe that these jets were parked in a ditch, then covered up, as in "unable to be restored to flying condition".

Might be something out there in Google-Land. I don't think they were mothballed, waiting for the day when Saddam acquired a KC-135 so they could make the trip all the way across the Atlantic and strike at Cheney's underground bunker....

DURING the war.. The had found a "cachet" of planes buried in one of the towns they "liberated".... This was waaaay back ..months ago.. I really though this recent story was a rehash of the other one..:shrug:

on the one story.

They aren't usable in any case.

Australian Special Forces found the last batch, this one was uncovered by the inspection teams on Bush's WMD snipehunt.

it's the same one I read ages ago, reported several times in fact...tail fin sticking up, useless for flying, etc.

Detectable by satellite long ago anyway.

I notice they report them as both 'aging' and 'brand new' in the same item.

Probably another story to convince people he had these mysterious weapons. People won't question it much.

http://www.revue-politique.com/7,article,rp200308,01,0000x0000p0011.htm

These aircraft - like the aircraft that defected to Iran during Desert Storm - are completely useless. They cannot be refurbished or repaired to fly again.

Also, these aircraft were NOT proscribed weapons under the Gulf War surrender/UN sanctions terms.

so much - DU is SO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL!!! Thanks for all the replies. This letter just made we sick - as most of them do.