The United States formally ended its search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in January 2005, with the Iraq Survey Group concluding a nearly two-year hunt without uncovering any nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. White House spokesman Scott McClellan confirmed the group had stood down, and said its leader, Charles Duelfer, would submit a final report to Congress restating the conclusions of a September 2004 interim assessment.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a sharp statement saying the primary case for invading Iraq had never been factually grounded. She called on President Bush to explain publicly why his rationale for the war had been wrong for so long, noting the search had consumed millions of dollars and thousands of lives.
Not all Democrats agreed. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut broke with Pelosi, arguing the invasion remained justified even without stockpiles. He pointed to the Duelfer report's finding that Saddam Hussein had kept a rudimentary biological and chemical weapons capability and appeared to have intended to expand it.
Republican Senator Johnny Isakson, appearing alongside Lieberman, also defended the administration's decision, citing evidence of weapons-related programs and infrastructure uncovered during the occupation.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.