CIA offers rewards for leads to weapons of mass destruction

WASHINGTON -- The CIA has gone public for information about the still elusive weapons of mass destruction in Iraq by posting a notice on its website offering rewards.

The "Iraqi Rewards Program" notice dated Tuesday seeks "specific and verifiable information" on the location of stocks of "recently made" chemical or biological weapons, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles or their components.

US intelligence agencies have been criticized for prewar estimates that said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when none have been found postwar.

David Kay, who had led the US hunt for banned weapons in Iraq, said after stepping down last month that he did not believe large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons existed when the United States invaded.

The unspecified rewards were also offered for the location of chemical or biological laboratories and factories; development, production, and test sites; and places where such materials were "secretly disposed."

The notice on www.cia.gov says: "The presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq puts at risk the health and safety of all Iraqis. The US Government offers rewards to Iraqis who give specific and verifiable information that helps Iraqis rid their country of these dangerous materials and devices." People can respond on electronic forms in English or Arabic. The CIA said they would protect the information and identity of the sender.

Rewards were also offered for former leaders of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, including $10 million for information leading to the capture of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Saddam's former lieutenant who is the highest-ranking official on the Pentagon's top 55 most-wanted list still not found.

The CIA asked for information about imminent attacks by "insurgents or terrorists."