Did Saddam gas his own people? Or did Reagan lie?

[Direckshun]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/02/08_gassing.html

This is a great article that concurs with many of the other articles I've read recently. I was in a conversation with a couple other DUers, asserting that Saddam had gassed his own people. I could not believe they called that claim into question, but when I researched the controversy behind it, I could understand the confusion.

For those who don't know the story (you should read the article), the gassing at Halabja occurred just after the Iraq-Iran war subsided, during the Reagan administration. At the time, Iraq was a strong ally for the United States, which was so extremely anti-Iran at the time, even dictators like Iraq's Saddam Hussein were welcome additions to ousting Iran. So the question is: whodunnit? Was it the evil Iran, or the guy we gave weapons/money to, Saddam?

Some said it was Iraq. Reagan & company said it was Iran.

We publicly admitted to giving Saddam weapons to fight the Iranians. If it had turned out that we had supported a gigantic ass who would gas his own people, Reagan and the United States would look bad. Therefore, I believe that Saddam did gas his own people (which is what most experts say anyway) and that the Reagan administration lied.

Anybody agree? Disagree?

[Kagemusha]

1. Are Kurds Saddam's own people? They don't think so.

But 'we' Westerners do.

That's as much as I intend to say on it.

[Direckshun]

2. That's a good point.

I suppose it could be argued that the Kurds aren't Saddam's people at all.

However, they do technically live within the country that Saddam rules. So, Bush calls them "Saddam's own people."

There's always something being spinned or put in a certain light, isn't there?

[papau]

3. We sold the items to make the gas -& the modified for gas delivery copters

you would think that Reagan/Bush would know who we were going to kill by giving the gas ability to Saddam.

[troublemaker]

4. I looked into this a lot before the war

Iraq and Iran both get credit for that particular atrocity.

It seems the town was the site of a battle between Iraqi and Iranian forces and that both sides used chem weapons. Iraq had nerve agents and Iran only blister agents (or visa versa), and the first pictures out were blister victims so the initial DIA report was that Iran had gassed them. Later it was amended to both sides being involved as more intel came in.

After Iraq invaded Kuwait Iran's role in that incident went to inconvenient datum heaven.