Audrey Gillan
Encyclopedia
Audrey Gillan is a reporter for The Guardian
and has the title of "Special Correspondent". She read English and Politics at Strathclyde University
.
Gillan began reporting for The Guardian in 1998 after seven years with other news organizations. After working in Iraq
during the 2003 invasion, she was named 'Foreign Correspondent of the Year' by the What the Papers Say
Awards.
was opened and found to contain anthrax
spores. An article by Gillan dated October 16 stated that, "Iraq is known to have amassed enough weapons of mass destruction to enable them to wipe out the world's population." No source was provided for this statement, but Gillan made passing reference to New York Times journalist Judith Miller
, who had published extensively on biological weapons
. On October 17, 2001 Miller and Stephen Engelberg published a high-profile article in The New York Times that used an unidentified source to suggest a possible link between the anthrax attacks and Iraq. That Iraq had large stockpiles of biological weapons had been widely known since attempts in 1998 to convince the Clinton
Administration to go to attack Iraq
.
member, North Korea
. Gillan wrote, "Intelligence sources believe that Bin Laden operatives have been preparing for spectacular terrorist strikes using biological weapons for a number of years. It is believed that virus
es causing deadly diseases such as ebola and salmonella were procured in Russia and that anthrax was obtained from North Korea." Again, the sources were not named. Letters included in the anthrax-containing envelopes attempted to link the anthrax to international terrorism, but the strain of anthrax used in the 2001 anthrax attacks
was khown to be one used within the United States biological warfare program, not one known to be available to countries such as Iraq.
in Iraq during the invasion phase of Operation Telic
. The Guardian has described Gillan as having been "given unique access to the Territorial Army in southern Iraq". Gillan described her role in Iraq as that of, "an independent witness, not working for the government."
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and has the title of "Special Correspondent". She read English and Politics at Strathclyde University
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
.
Gillan began reporting for The Guardian in 1998 after seven years with other news organizations. After working in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during the 2003 invasion, she was named 'Foreign Correspondent of the Year' by the What the Papers Say
What the Papers Say
What The Papers Say is a BBC radio programme that originally ran for many years on British television.Its first incarnation was the second longest-running programme on British television after Panorama...
Awards.
Pre-war reporting on bioterror and Iraq
On October 15, 2001, a letter addressed to United States Senator Tom DaschleTom Daschle
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Daschle is a former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
was opened and found to contain anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
spores. An article by Gillan dated October 16 stated that, "Iraq is known to have amassed enough weapons of mass destruction to enable them to wipe out the world's population." No source was provided for this statement, but Gillan made passing reference to New York Times journalist Judith Miller
Judith Miller (journalist)
Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, formerly of the New York Times Washington bureau. Her coverage of Iraq's alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction program both before and after the 2003 invasion generated much controversy...
, who had published extensively on biological weapons
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
. On October 17, 2001 Miller and Stephen Engelberg published a high-profile article in The New York Times that used an unidentified source to suggest a possible link between the anthrax attacks and Iraq. That Iraq had large stockpiles of biological weapons had been widely known since attempts in 1998 to convince the Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Administration to go to attack Iraq
Operation Desert Fox
The December 1998 bombing of Iraq was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16–19, 1998 by the United States and United Kingdom...
.
Possible sources of anthrax terror
In addition to attempts to link the anthrax attacks to Iraq, efforts were being made by some to implicate both al-Qaida and another alleged Axis of evilAxis of evil
"Axis of evil" is a term initially used by the former United States President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 and often repeated throughout his presidency, describing governments that he accused of helping terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction...
member, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. Gillan wrote, "Intelligence sources believe that Bin Laden operatives have been preparing for spectacular terrorist strikes using biological weapons for a number of years. It is believed that virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es causing deadly diseases such as ebola and salmonella were procured in Russia and that anthrax was obtained from North Korea." Again, the sources were not named. Letters included in the anthrax-containing envelopes attempted to link the anthrax to international terrorism, but the strain of anthrax used in the 2001 anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, also known as Amerithrax from its Federal Bureau of Investigation case name, occurred over the course of several weeks beginning on Tuesday, September 18, 2001, one week after the September 11 attacks. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to...
was khown to be one used within the United States biological warfare program, not one known to be available to countries such as Iraq.
2003 Invasion of Iraq
Gillan was embedded with the Household CavalryHousehold Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
in Iraq during the invasion phase of Operation Telic
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
. The Guardian has described Gillan as having been "given unique access to the Territorial Army in southern Iraq". Gillan described her role in Iraq as that of, "an independent witness, not working for the government."