Top American scientists assigned to the weapons hunt in Iraq found no evidence former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's regime was making or stockpiling smallpox, The Associated Press has learned from senior military officers involved in the search.
Smallpox fears were part of the case the Bush administration used to build support for invading Iraq -- and they were raised again as recently as last weekend by Vice President Dick Cheney.
But a three-month search by "Team Pox" turned up only signs to the contrary: disabled equipment that had been rendered harmless by UN inspectors, Iraqi scientists deemed credible who gave no indication they had worked with smallpox, and a laboratory thought to be back in use that was covered in cobwebs.
Fears that smallpox could be used as a weapon led the Bush administration to launch a vaccination campaign for some 500,000 US military personnel after the Sept. 11 attacks, and to order enough vaccine to inoculate the entire US population if necessary. President George W. Bush also was vaccinated against the disease, which kills about a third of its victims.
The negative smallpox findings reported to US intelligence agencies come nearly six months after the Bush administration went to war to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction that Saddam long denied having and that the US military hasn't been able to find.
Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. All samples of the virus were to have been destroyed except those held by special labs in Atlanta and Russia, but some experts fear Russian samples could have gotten into the hands of hostile nations.
Two of the six members of Team Pox -- whose existence and work hasn't been previously disclosed -- have left Iraq while the rest remain involved in other aspects of the weapons hunt, said the officers who described the smallpox pursuit for the first time.
Though Team Pox is no longer operational, having carried out their work between May and July, their findings don't dismiss the possibility that smallpox could still be discovered, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, there remains little to pursue in this area now.
"We found no physical or new anecdotal evidence to suggest Iraq was producing smallpox or had stocks of it in its possession," one of the military officers said.
When Team Pox searched key locations in Iraq, such as the defunct Darwah foot-and-mouth disease center, they found the facility in the same condition UN inspectors left it in seven years ago.
The smallpox team found cobwebs covering much of the inside, although a CIA National Intelligence Estimate said the Iraqis were refurbishing the facility.
US satellite images had spotted trucks pulling up in the past year -- an indication of renewed activity, the team was told. But investigations on the ground revealed the trucks belonged to black marketeers stealing scrap metal and other parts around the site.
Bush administration officials often cited smallpox when describing Saddam's intentions -- and continue to do so despite the lack of evidence.
On Sunday, Cheney said two trailers -- which he called ``mobile biological facilities'' -- could have been used to make smallpox.
But intelligence analysts within two U.S. government agencies believe the trailers were used to fill weather balloons.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, making the U.S. case for war last February at the United Nations, said Saddam ``has the wherewithal to develop smallpox.''
But Pentagon planners didn't organize a specific search for smallpox when they put together a post-Saddam weapons hunt.
``There was some discussion about creating specialized teams but we didn't have enough people,'' said Lieutenant Colonel Michael Slifka, who planned the weapons hunt for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
The original search teams, which disbanded when a Pentagon-led effort known as the Iraq Survey Group took over in August.
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