197:
showed Taha documents obtained by UNSCOM from the
Israeli government that showed the Iraqi regime had just purchased 10 tons of growth media from a British company called Oxoid. Growth media is a mixture of sugar, proteins and minerals that allows microscopic life to grow; it is used in hospitals, where swabs from patients are placed in dishes containing growth media for diagnostic purposes. Iraq's hospital consumption of growth media was just 200 kg a year, yet in 1988, Iraq imported 39 tons of it.
249:
69:
work she became known as the mother of all Third World biological weapons programs. It was Taha who sold the idea of an Iraqi biological weapons program to Saddam
Hussein and was given an award for her work in biological weapons, specifically the development of anthrax and botulinum weapons by Saddam Hussein. Moreover, she has been held up as an example to Iraqi women interested in science.
240:, but is safer for researchers to work with. It was because of the discovery of Taha's work with camel pox that the U.S. and British intelligence services feared Saddam Hussein may have been planning to weaponize the smallpox virus. Iraq had a smallpox outbreak in the 1970s and UNSCOM scientists believe the government would have retained contaminated material.
317:
prisoners were tied to posts while shells loaded with anthrax were blown up nearby. Ritter's team demanded to see documents from Abu Ghraib prison showing a prisoner count. Ritter writes that they discovered the records for July and August 1995 were missing. Asked to explain the missing documents, the Iraqi government charged that Ritter was working for the
362:, threatening to kill them if Iraqi women prisoners were not released. Armstrong and Hensley were killed within the first 72 hours, but Bigley was kept alive for three weeks. The only Iraqi women prisoners being held at that time, according to the British government, were Taha and another woman scientist,
384:
On 22 September 2004, Noori Abdul-Rahim
Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Iraqi Justice Ministry, said that Taha would be released on bail. He said the decision was not related to Zarqawi's demands, but that the government regularly reviews the cases of prominent detainees, and it was decided to release
401:
In
December 2005, 22 so-called "high-value" prisoners, including Rihab Taha, were released without charge two days after Iraq's national elections, following over 30 months in confinement. Another female scientist, Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, nicknamed "Mrs. Anthrax" by the U.S., was also among those
333:
Taha told the BBC her country never planned to use the biological agents it produced in the 1980s and early 1990s. "We never wanted to cause harm or damage to anybody," she said. "Iraq has been threatened by different enemies and we are in an area that suffers from regional conflict. I think it is
281:
reported that Taha had provided an explanation for the 1,800 gallon discrepancy between the amount of anthrax the UN knew she had manufactured, and the amount she admitted to destroying. The missing anthrax was one of the stated reasons for the Iraq war and was emphasized by then-U.S. Secretary of
68:
Rihab
Rashida Taha ranks among the most important of a new breed of Third World weapons designers who were highly nationalistic, western-educated and willing to violate any international norms or scientific ethics. Taha worked hard to contribute to Iraqi weapons program. As a result of Taha’s hard
196:
According to the 1999 DIA report, the normally mild-mannered Taha exploded into violent rages when questioned about al-Hakam, shouting, screaming and, storming out of the room, before returning and smashing a chair. However, in 1995, UNSCOM's principal weapons inspector Rod Barton from
Australia
329:
In an interview broadcast in
February 2003, Taha said Iraq was justified in producing germ weapons in the 1980s and 1990s to defend itself. She told the British Broadcasting Corp. she was involved in producing Iraq's final weapons declaration to the United Nations. She said Saddam's regime was
303:
The inspectors feared that Taha's team had experimented on human beings. During one inspection, they discovered two primate-sized inhalation chambers, one measuring 5 cubic metres, though there was no evidence the Iraqis had used large primates in their experiments. According to former weapons
294:
report published on 6 October 2004, Taha told
American investigators that she and her colleagues dumped the missing anthrax near the gates of one of Saddam's palaces in April 1991, but were afraid to admit to this for fear of incurring Saddam's wrath. The Iraqi biologists therefore told the UN
192:
to inspect Iraqi weapons facilities, weapons inspectors were told by Taha that al-Hakam was a chicken-feed plant. "There were a few things that were peculiar about this animal-feed production plant," Charles
Duelfer, UNSCOM's deputy executive chairman, later told reporters, "beginning with the
316:
prison were transferred to a military post in al-Haditha, in the northwest of Iraq, (Ritter, 1999). Iraqi opposition groups say that scientists sprayed the prisoners with anthrax, though no evidence was produced to support these allegations. During one experiment, the inspectors were told, 12
256:
UNSCOM learned that, In August 1990, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Taha's team was ordered to set up a program to weaponize the biological agents. By
January 1991, a team of 100 scientists and support staff had filled 157 bombs and 16 missile warheads with
88:, who was accused of telling a BBC reporter that some of the intelligence had been manipulated. Kelly, as an UNSCOM weapons inspector visiting Iraq on the occasions described below, had interrogated Taha so pitilessly that she was "reduced to tears".
21:
108:, which she attended from 1980 to 1984. She published two articles on her research, co-authored by her supervisor John Turner, once the head of the School of Biological Sciences. In 1984, "Contribution of tabtoxin to the pathogenicity of
269:. UNSCOM also discovered that Taha's team had conducted inhalation experiments on donkeys from England and on beagles from Germany. The inspectors seized photographs showing beagles having convulsions inside sealed containers.
261:, and 50 bombs and five missile warheads with anthrax. In an interview with the BBC, Taha denied the Iraqi government had weaponized the bacteria. "We never intended to use it," she told journalist Jane Corbin of the BBC's
133:, the former Iraqi oil minister and director of Iraq's Military Industrial Corporation, which was responsible for Saddam's advanced weapons programs. Taha met General Rashid, who has a Ph.D in engineering from the
252:
The British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and UNSCOM catalogued the weaponization by Taha's team of biological agents. Above, the SIS building photographed from Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
165:
Although Taha told her fellow students at Norwich that she wanted to return to Iraq to teach biology, she went instead to work for Iraq's germ warfare program. In 1985, she worked in the
22:
873:
152:, broadcasts were aired showing Taha and Saddam sitting next to each other. On 12 May 2003, the U.S. government announced that Taha had surrendered to coalition forces.
833:
20:
863:
370:
members of Saddam's regime. It was hoped that the release of these women, who had not been charged with any offence, would trigger the release of Bigley.
808:
848:
26:
Voice of America pronunciation of "Rihab Taha" from the region of Iraq. Transliteration (American pronunciation recommendation): "ree-HAHB TAH-hah".
790:(pdf) by Major, Brian. K. Anderson, USAF, study commissioned by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), May 1999
65:(DIA) named her as one of the world's most dangerous women. Dr Taha admitted producing germ warfare agents but said they had been destroyed.
729:
718:
BBC: 2005, Taha released, along 7 other Sadam's aides, including another female, Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, nicknamed by the US "Mrs Anthrax".
528:
84:
and other biological agents. It was this dossier that triggered the chain of events that led to the suicide of British UN weapons inspector
568:
265:
program. "We never wanted to cause harm or damage to anybody." However, UNSCOM found the munitions dumped in a river near the facility at
80:, on Iraq's biological, chemical and nuclear capability. The dossier alleged that Taha had played a leading role in the manufacture of
868:
772:
185:
142:
739:
501:
416:
54:
374:
858:
823:
367:
853:
818:
813:
200:
Shown this evidence by UNSCOM, Taha admitted to the inspectors that her biological weapons agency had grown 19,000 litres of
130:
777:
343:
402:
released after what the U.S. said was a standardized process of review and an agreement with the interim Iraqi government.
573:
122:(25, 55-69) and "Effect of tabtoxin on nitrogen metabolism" by J.G. Turner, R.R. Taha & J.M. Debbage was published in
421:
85:
224:, a castor bean derivative which can kill by inhibiting protein synthesis. She also admitted conducting research into
166:
73:
62:
393:
announced that neither Taha nor Ammash would be released in the near future. Bigley was beheaded on 7 October 2004.
712:
828:
101:
134:
385:
Taha because she had cooperated with the authorities. However, after a statement from U.S. Secretary of State
363:
213:
843:
233:
149:
97:
58:
838:
347:
110:
757:
751:
536:
578:
768:
291:
697:
603:
723:
351:
287:
278:
248:
702:
676:
742:, an intelligence dossier naming Taha, released by Tony Blair, the British prime-minister.
550:
266:
174:
34:
148:
In 1997, Saddam Hussein awarded Taha a medal of scientific achievement and, prior to the
640:
359:
334:
our right to have something to defend ourselves and to have something as a deterrent."
50:
42:
802:
719:
707:
658:
621:
464:
258:
138:
330:
telling the truth when it said it no longer had any chemical or biological weapons.
411:
386:
355:
305:
283:
390:
377:
312:, UNSCOM learned that, between 1 July and 15 August 1995, 50 prisoners from the
745:
72:
Taha first rose to prominence in the Western media after being named in a 2003
313:
229:
77:
740:"Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British government
209:
787:
446:
389:
that there would be no negotiations with terrorists, Iraqi Prime Minister
793:
483:
237:
217:
201:
225:
205:
170:
105:
81:
426:
189:
373:
236:, and camel pox, a disease that uses the same growth techniques as
372:
247:
221:
18:
346:("Oneness of God and Holy War") Islamist group, led by Jordanian
758:
Professor John G. Turner's publications, including two with Taha
295:
weapons inspectors that the missing anthrax had never existed.
318:
181:), Iraq's top-secret biological-warfare facility at the time.
380:, Iraq's prime minister, refused to sanction Taha's release.
795:
NBC News by Robert Windrem, Senior investigative producer.
765:
Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem — Once and for All
788:"A profile of WMD proliferants: Are there commonalities?"
447:"A Profile of WMD Proliferants: Are There Commonalities?"
746:
Key United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) documents
760:, University of East Anglia, retrieved January 3, 2004
76:
dossier, released to the public by the Prime Minister
518:
Norman Baker "The Strange Death of David Kelly", 2007
49:
by United Nations weapons inspectors, who worked in
100:, Taha received her Ph.D in plant toxins from the
57:. A 1999 report commissioned by the United States
129:Taha is married to the British-educated General
604:"Panorama - Iraqi bio-scientist breaks silence"
321:and refused to co-operate further with UNSCOM.
173:, and later became chief production officer in
8:
188:(UNSCOM), set up after the 1990 invasion of
641:"Iraq's 'Dr. Germ' surrenders to coalition"
598:
596:
569:"The Inspections Maze | csmonitor.com"
551:"UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL COMMISSION(UNSCOM)"
874:Prisoners of war held by the United States
778:"Iraqi Anthrax Scientist Kept Her Secret"
708:BBC: 2004, Iraqi women not being released
299:Suspected experimentation on human beings
193:extensive air defenses surrounding it."
834:Alumni of the University of East Anglia
698:BBC: Iraqi bio-scientist breaks silence
622:"Iraqi Scientist: We Destroyed Anthrax"
438:
366:, a bio-tech researcher who was on the
286:during his February 2003 speech to the
767:, Simon and Schuster; paperback 2002,
482:Windrem, Robert (September 23, 2004).
713:"Allawi:No release of female prisoner
41:; born 12 November 1957) is an Iraqi
7:
864:People related to biological warfare
104:'s School of Biological Sciences in
96:Born in 1957, and a graduate of the
484:"NBC: The world's deadliest woman?"
38:
677:"US sets Saddam's scientists free"
659:"Iraqi women 'not being released'"
244:Weaponisation of biological agents
14:
639:Jelinek, Pauline (May 12, 2003).
529:"John Turner : Publications"
216:, a bacterium that can cause gas
186:United Nations Special Commission
184:During several visits to Iraq by
143:United Nations Special Commission
137:, when they were both invited to
809:Iraqi biological weapons program
715:, Al-Jazeera, September 24, 2004
417:Iraqi biological weapons program
310:Endgame: Solving the Iraq Crisis
212:, which can cause liver cancer;
16:Iraqi microbiologist (born 1957)
849:British people of Iraqi descent
368:U.S. list of the 55 most wanted
703:BBC: Iraq's 'Dr Germ' detained
131:Amir Mohammad Rashid al-Ubaidi
1:
754:, April 1991 to December 1999
748:, The United Nations, 1991–99
574:The Christian Science Monitor
120:Physiological Plant Pathology
645:UCLA School of Public Health
422:Timeline of women in science
290:. However, according to an
161:Growth of biological agents
63:Defense Intelligence Agency
890:
342:On 18 September 2004, the
167:al-Muthanna chemical plant
55:biological weapons program
31:Rihab Rashid Taha al-Azawi
869:Iraq War prisoners of war
780:, by Charles. J. Hanley,
734:Christian Science Monitor
465:"Iraq's women scientists"
102:University of East Anglia
135:University of Birmingham
396:
364:Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash
358:, and British engineer
338:Taha and Kenneth Bigley
214:Clostridium perfringens
204:toxin; 8,000 litres of
141:for a meeting with the
126:in 1986 (67, 649-653).
859:Iraqi prisoners of war
824:Iraqi women scientists
730:"The Inspections Maze"
381:
350:, kidnapped Americans
277:On 18 March 2005, the
253:
234:foot and mouth disease
27:
854:Women in the Iraq War
819:Women microbiologists
814:Iraqi microbiologists
724:The al-Hakam facility
665:. September 22, 2004.
581:on September 27, 2007
471:. September 22, 2004.
376:
251:
124:Physiologia Plantarum
98:University of Baghdad
59:Joint Chiefs of Staff
25:
726:, GlobalSecurity.org
683:. December 19, 2005.
502:"UK dossier on Iraq"
348:Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
111:Pseudomonas syringae
74:British intelligence
325:Statements to press
145:(UNSCOM) in 1993.
118:" was published in
763:Ritter, S. (1999)
382:
254:
208:; 2,000 litres of
28:
752:UNSCOM chronology
628:. March 28, 2005.
308:in his 1999 book
292:Iraq Survey Group
23:
881:
829:Iraqi biologists
784:, March 28, 2005
782:Associated Press
685:
684:
673:
667:
666:
655:
649:
648:
636:
630:
629:
618:
612:
611:
600:
591:
590:
588:
586:
577:. Archived from
565:
559:
558:
547:
541:
540:
535:. Archived from
525:
519:
516:
510:
509:
498:
492:
491:
479:
473:
472:
461:
455:
454:
443:
352:Eugene Armstrong
344:Tawhid and Jihad
288:Security Council
279:Associated Press
150:2003 war on Iraq
40:
24:
889:
888:
884:
883:
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799:
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327:
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275:
273:Missing anthrax
246:
163:
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94:
19:
17:
12:
11:
5:
887:
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539:on 2004-03-26.
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474:
456:
437:
436:
434:
431:
430:
429:
424:
419:
414:
407:
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397:Taha's release
395:
360:Kenneth Bigley
339:
336:
326:
323:
300:
297:
274:
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245:
242:
177:(also spelled
162:
159:
157:
154:
93:
90:
51:Saddam Hussein
43:microbiologist
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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844:Living people
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773:0-7432-4772-8
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672:
669:
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642:
635:
632:
627:
623:
617:
614:
610:. 2003-02-09.
609:
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533:www.uea.ac.uk
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260:
259:botulin toxin
250:
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139:New York City
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56:
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48:
44:
36:
32:
781:
764:
733:
680:
671:
662:
653:
644:
634:
625:
616:
607:
583:. Retrieved
579:the original
572:
563:
554:
545:
537:the original
532:
523:
514:
505:
496:
487:
477:
468:
459:
450:
441:
412:Aziz al-Abub
400:
387:Colin Powell
383:
356:Jack Hensley
341:
332:
328:
309:
306:Scott Ritter
302:
284:Colin Powell
276:
262:
255:
199:
195:
183:
178:
164:
147:
128:
123:
119:
115:
109:
95:
71:
67:
46:
39:رحاب رشيد طه
30:
29:
839:1957 births
391:Iyad Allawi
378:Iyad Allawi
86:David Kelly
803:Categories
692:References
314:Abu Ghraib
304:inspector
230:salmonella
210:aflatoxins
92:Background
78:Tony Blair
681:bbc.co.uk
663:bbc.co.uk
608:bbc.co.uk
585:April 28,
506:bbc.co.uk
469:bbc.co.uk
45:, dubbed
626:Fox News
488:NBC News
406:See also
267:al-Hakam
263:Panorama
238:smallpox
218:gangrene
202:botulism
179:al-Hakum
175:al-Hakam
61:and the
451:fas.org
226:cholera
206:anthrax
171:Baghdad
106:Norwich
82:anthrax
47:Dr Germ
771:
736:, 2002
555:un.org
427:UNSCOM
282:State
220:; and
190:Kuwait
35:Arabic
433:Notes
222:ricin
169:near
116:tabac
769:ISBN
587:2006
354:and
156:Work
114:pv.
319:CIA
53:'s
805::
732:,
679:.
661:.
643:.
624:.
606:.
595:^
571:.
553:.
531:.
504:.
486:.
467:.
449:.
232:,
228:,
37::
647:.
589:.
557:.
508:.
490:.
453:.
33:(
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