208:
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.
260:
80:
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.
251:, 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.
328:
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
373:, 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,
395:
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
412:
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
344:
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
292:
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
79:
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
207:
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
340:
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
314:
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
305:
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
203:
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
327:
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
267:
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
99:, 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".
32:
119:, 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
280:. 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.
272:, 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
144:, 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
263:
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.
176:
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
33:
884:
163:, 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.
844:
31:
874:
381:
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.
819:
859:
37:
Voice of America pronunciation of "Rihab Taha" from the region of Iraq. Transliteration (American pronunciation recommendation): "ree-HAHB TAH-hah".
801:(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
76:(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.
740:
729:
BBC: 2005, Taha released, along 7 other Sadam's aides, including another female, Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, nicknamed by the US "Mrs Anthrax".
539:
95:
and other biological agents. It was this dossier that triggered the chain of events that led to the suicide of British UN weapons inspector
579:
276:
program. "We never wanted to cause harm or damage to anybody." However, UNSCOM found the munitions dumped in a river near the facility at
91:, on Iraq's biological, chemical and nuclear capability. The dossier alleged that Taha had played a leading role in the manufacture of
879:
783:
196:
153:
750:
512:
427:
65:
385:
869:
834:
378:
864:
829:
824:
211:
Shown this evidence by UNSCOM, Taha admitted to the inspectors that her biological weapons agency had grown 19,000 litres of
141:
788:
354:
413:
released after what the U.S. said was a standardized process of review and an agreement with the interim Iraqi government.
584:
133:(25, 55-69) and "Effect of tabtoxin on nitrogen metabolism" by J.G. Turner, R.R. Taha & J.M. Debbage was published in
432:
96:
235:, a castor bean derivative which can kill by inhibiting protein synthesis. She also admitted conducting research into
177:
84:
73:
404:
announced that neither Taha nor Ammash would be released in the near future. Bigley was beheaded on 7 October 2004.
723:
839:
112:
145:
396:
Taha because she had cooperated with the authorities. However, after a statement from U.S. Secretary of State
374:
224:
854:
244:
160:
108:
69:
849:
358:
121:
768:
762:
547:
589:
779:
302:
708:
614:
734:
362:
298:
289:
259:
713:
687:
753:, an intelligence dossier naming Taha, released by Tony Blair, the British prime-minister.
561:
277:
185:
45:
159:
In 1997, Saddam Hussein awarded Taha a medal of scientific achievement and, prior to the
651:
370:
345:
our right to have something to defend ourselves and to have something as a deterrent."
61:
53:
813:
730:
718:
669:
632:
475:
269:
149:
341:
telling the truth when it said it no longer had any chemical or biological weapons.
422:
397:
366:
316:
294:
401:
388:
323:, UNSCOM learned that, between 1 July and 15 August 1995, 50 prisoners from the
756:
83:
Taha first rose to prominence in the Western media after being named in a 2003
324:
240:
88:
751:"Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British government
17:
220:
798:
457:
400:
that there would be no negotiations with terrorists, Iraqi Prime Minister
804:
494:
248:
228:
212:
236:
216:
181:
116:
92:
437:
200:
384:
247:, and camel pox, a disease that uses the same growth techniques as
383:
258:
232:
29:
357:("Oneness of God and Holy War") Islamist group, led by Jordanian
769:
Professor John G. Turner's publications, including two with Taha
306:
weapons inspectors that the missing anthrax had never existed.
329:
192:), Iraq's top-secret biological-warfare facility at the time.
391:, Iraq's prime minister, refused to sanction Taha's release.
806:
NBC News by Robert Windrem, Senior investigative producer.
776:
Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem — Once and for All
799:"A profile of WMD proliferants: Are there commonalities?"
458:"A Profile of WMD Proliferants: Are There Commonalities?"
757:
Key United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) documents
771:, University of East Anglia, retrieved January 3, 2004
87:
dossier, released to the public by the Prime Minister
529:
Norman Baker "The Strange Death of David Kelly", 2007
60:
by United Nations weapons inspectors, who worked in
111:, Taha received her Ph.D in plant toxins from the
68:. A 1999 report commissioned by the United States
140:Taha is married to the British-educated General
615:"Panorama - Iraqi bio-scientist breaks silence"
332:and refused to co-operate further with UNSCOM.
184:, and later became chief production officer in
8:
199:(UNSCOM), set up after the 1990 invasion of
652:"Iraq's 'Dr. Germ' surrenders to coalition"
609:
607:
580:"The Inspections Maze | csmonitor.com"
562:"UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL COMMISSION(UNSCOM)"
885:Prisoners of war held by the United States
789:"Iraqi Anthrax Scientist Kept Her Secret"
719:BBC: 2004, Iraqi women not being released
310:Suspected experimentation on human beings
204:extensive air defenses surrounding it."
845:Alumni of the University of East Anglia
709:BBC: Iraqi bio-scientist breaks silence
633:"Iraqi Scientist: We Destroyed Anthrax"
449:
377:, a bio-tech researcher who was on the
297:during his February 2003 speech to the
778:, Simon and Schuster; paperback 2002,
493:Windrem, Robert (September 23, 2004).
724:"Allawi:No release of female prisoner
52:; born 12 November 1957) is an Iraqi
7:
875:People related to biological warfare
115:'s School of Biological Sciences in
107:Born in 1957, and a graduate of the
495:"NBC: The world's deadliest woman?"
49:
688:"US sets Saddam's scientists free"
670:"Iraqi women 'not being released'"
255:Weaponisation of biological agents
25:
650:Jelinek, Pauline (May 12, 2003).
540:"John Turner : Publications"
227:, a bacterium that can cause gas
197:United Nations Special Commission
195:During several visits to Iraq by
154:United Nations Special Commission
148:, when they were both invited to
820:Iraqi biological weapons program
726:, Al-Jazeera, September 24, 2004
428:Iraqi biological weapons program
321:Endgame: Solving the Iraq Crisis
223:, which can cause liver cancer;
27:Iraqi microbiologist (born 1957)
860:British people of Iraqi descent
379:U.S. list of the 55 most wanted
714:BBC: Iraq's 'Dr Germ' detained
142:Amir Mohammad Rashid al-Ubaidi
1:
765:, April 1991 to December 1999
759:, The United Nations, 1991–99
585:The Christian Science Monitor
131:Physiological Plant Pathology
656:UCLA School of Public Health
433:Timeline of women in science
301:. However, according to an
172:Growth of biological agents
74:Defense Intelligence Agency
901:
353:On 18 September 2004, the
178:al-Muthanna chemical plant
66:biological weapons program
42:Rihab Rashid Taha al-Azawi
880:Iraq War prisoners of war
791:, by Charles. J. Hanley,
745:Christian Science Monitor
476:"Iraq's women scientists"
113:University of East Anglia
146:University of Birmingham
407:
375:Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash
369:, and British engineer
349:Taha and Kenneth Bigley
225:Clostridium perfringens
215:toxin; 8,000 litres of
152:for a meeting with the
137:in 1986 (67, 649-653).
870:Iraqi prisoners of war
835:Iraqi women scientists
741:"The Inspections Maze"
392:
361:, kidnapped Americans
288:On 18 March 2005, the
264:
245:foot and mouth disease
38:
865:Women in the Iraq War
830:Women microbiologists
825:Iraqi microbiologists
735:The al-Hakam facility
676:. September 22, 2004.
592:on September 27, 2007
482:. September 22, 2004.
387:
262:
135:Physiologia Plantarum
109:University of Baghdad
70:Joint Chiefs of Staff
36:
737:, GlobalSecurity.org
694:. December 19, 2005.
513:"UK dossier on Iraq"
359:Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
122:Pseudomonas syringae
85:British intelligence
336:Statements to press
156:(UNSCOM) in 1993.
129:" was published in
774:Ritter, S. (1999)
393:
265:
219:; 2,000 litres of
39:
763:UNSCOM chronology
639:. March 28, 2005.
319:in his 1999 book
303:Iraq Survey Group
34:
16:(Redirected from
892:
840:Iraqi biologists
795:, March 28, 2005
793:Associated Press
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588:. Archived from
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546:. Archived from
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484:
483:
472:
466:
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454:
363:Eugene Armstrong
355:Tawhid and Jihad
299:Security Council
290:Associated Press
161:2003 war on Iraq
51:
35:
21:
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284:Missing anthrax
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550:on 2004-03-26.
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408:Taha's release
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371:Kenneth Bigley
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188:(also spelled
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62:Saddam Hussein
54:microbiologist
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855:Living people
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784:0-7432-4772-8
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621:. 2003-02-09.
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544:www.uea.ac.uk
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270:botulin toxin
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19:
18:Rihab al-Taha
792:
775:
744:
691:
682:
673:
664:
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636:
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594:. Retrieved
590:the original
583:
574:
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548:the original
543:
534:
525:
516:
507:
498:
488:
479:
470:
461:
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423:Aziz al-Abub
411:
398:Colin Powell
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367:Jack Hensley
352:
343:
339:
320:
317:Scott Ritter
313:
295:Colin Powell
287:
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210:
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139:
134:
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126:
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82:
78:
57:
50:رحاب رشيد طه
41:
40:
850:1957 births
402:Iyad Allawi
389:Iyad Allawi
97:David Kelly
814:Categories
703:References
325:Abu Ghraib
315:inspector
241:salmonella
221:aflatoxins
103:Background
89:Tony Blair
692:bbc.co.uk
674:bbc.co.uk
619:bbc.co.uk
596:April 28,
517:bbc.co.uk
480:bbc.co.uk
56:, dubbed
637:Fox News
499:NBC News
417:See also
278:al-Hakam
274:Panorama
249:smallpox
229:gangrene
213:botulism
190:al-Hakum
186:al-Hakam
72:and the
462:fas.org
237:cholera
217:anthrax
182:Baghdad
117:Norwich
93:anthrax
58:Dr Germ
782:
747:, 2002
566:un.org
438:UNSCOM
293:State
231:; and
201:Kuwait
46:Arabic
444:Notes
233:ricin
180:near
127:tabac
780:ISBN
598:2006
365:and
167:Work
125:pv.
330:CIA
64:'s
816::
743:,
690:.
672:.
654:.
635:.
617:.
606:^
582:.
564:.
542:.
515:.
497:.
478:.
460:.
243:,
239:,
48::
658:.
600:.
568:.
519:.
501:.
464:.
44:(
20:)
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