U.S. forces are advancing on the western Iraq city of Al Qaim where a major chemical weapons facility remains under the control of the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Western intelligence sources said the facility, located near the Jordanian and Syrian borders, is believed to be the largest production facility of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The facility was reconstructed after the 1991 Gulf war.  

(OMED: Thus, Hussein broke the cease fire agreement when he built it.)

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said coalition forces must secure Iraq's borders to prevent the flow of WMD materials and senior regime officials from the country. Rumsfeld said the United States is concerned that regime members may try to export weapons or WMD expertise to what he termed terrorist groups.