10:15am UK, Monday March 24, 2003

The Pentagon is playing down reports that US troops have found a "huge" chemical weapons factory in the town of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad.

Sky's Washington correspondent Keith Graves says it now appears as if the facility has not been manufacturing chemical or biological weapons.

180-map-najaf

Najaf lies south of Baghdad

"Officials are urging journalists to treat reports of this type of find with more caution," he said.

The facility was uncovered by the 1st Brigade of the Third Infantry division as they advanced north towards Baghdad.

The 100-acre complex ,lies next to military barracks and is surrounded by an electrical fence.

Asked at a news conference in Qatar about reports of the chemical plant, Lt Gen John Abizaid of US Central Command refused to comment.

He would only say: "We have an Iraqi general officer, two Iraqi general officers that we have taken prisoner, and they are providing us with information."

UN weapons inspectors have said they are not aware of any large-scale chemical sites in Najaf.

Spokesman Ewen Buchanan said UN inspectors visited a cement plant in Najaf earlier this year but did not find anything untoward.

Graves pointed out that the US and Britain are desperate for evidence that Iraq has been manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.

"This has been cited as the main reason for going to war against Saddam Hussein, who denies having banned weapons.

"It would also explain why, in this case, there was so much excitement when troops investigated the factory."