Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

17 March – Even as United Nations weapons inspectors were about to be withdrawn from Iraq, they supervised the destruction of two more Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing to 72 the total destroyed since the 1 March deadline for beginning the process.

UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams also erased software for launch calculations in a command and control vehicle for the missile, prohibited because it exceeds the 150-kilometre limit imposed by Security Council resolutions, and other related materials and components.

UNMOVIC conducted a private interview with a biological scientist, the fourteenth such private interview since the beginning of the process in mid-January, while biological and chemical teams inspected the Tikrit Dairy Factory, which processes milk and derivatives, and the Al Sina Centre.