Weapons Inspector Says Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Don’t Exist

	David Kay, former chief weapons inspector of Iraq, told the Senate this month that information about Saddam Hussein's weapons programs was wrong. The incorrect information said that Hussein was creating weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Based partly on that information, the U.S. went to war with Iraq. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President’s decision to go to war being questioned

A key person says the United States "was almost certainly wrong" about its major reason for going to war with Iraq. Former weapons inspector David Kay says he does not think Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Kay led the American government’s search for illegal weapons in Iraq. He served as chief inspector for about six months. But he resigned January 23rd.

President George Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. Bush said May 1st that major combat in Iraq had ended. But attacks have claimed the lives of American troops almost every day since.

Americans still dying in Iraq

The war had claimed the lives of 528 American troops as of February 3rd. In January, 45 troops died in Iraq. The deadliest month since May was November. In that month, 82 soldiers died.

Bush had claimed last year that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had illegal weapons. Bush said the weapons could be used against the U.S.

The U.S. Congress voted to support Bush's request to go to war. But many Americans argued against the war. Many Americans felt their country should not fight unless the U.S. was attacked first.

Bush claimed he had to act first to prevent Iraq from using deadly weapons. Hussein denied he had any illegal weapons.

Inspectors from the United Nations failed to find any banned weapons in the months leading up to the fighting. The inspectors were withdrawn from Iraq shortly before the war started. The British government agreed to send troops to fight in the war. Poland and Denmark also sent troops. But many European nations, like France and Germany, refused to join the war.

Many nations have weapons of mass destruction. But the United Nations had voted to forbid Iraq from holding such weapons. The United Nations is a group of more than 100 countries. The U.N. tries to help other countries to deal with issues without fighting.

Iraq reduced stock of weapons in 1990’s

Kay said he thought Iraq gradually reduced its stockpiles of illegal weapons in the 1990s.   

"I am personally convinced that there were not large stockpiles of newly produced weapons of mass destruction," Kay said after he resigned.

Kay said people who worked for him had talked to Iraqi scientists. His aides also studied Iraqi papers. The aides went to places where weapons might be kept.

"We don't find the people, the documents or the physical plants that you would expect to find if the production was going on," Kay said.

Kay also said the search for weapons should continue. But he said he felt that "85 percent of the significant things" already had been uncovered.

The effort to figure out what Iraq was doing was very poor, Kay said. The effort was so bad that he asked for changes in the way the U.S. government works.

Bush to pick team to look at intelligence

Bush also said he wanted to know what went wrong. Bush announced February 2nd that he would appoint a group of people to look into what went wrong.

Hussein disappeared shortly after the fighting started. Some thought he was dead. Others felt he was hiding somewhere in Iraq. Still others thought he fled to another country.

American troops captured Hussein on December 13th. He was found hiding in a hole in a small farm house. Hussein did not fight or struggle with the troops.

Bush said the world is a safer place with Hussein under arrest. Hussein was expected to be put on trial in Iraq.  A new government is expected to take control of Iraq in June.