Confirms Taepodong-2 Test Was A Failure
ANN REALTIME REPORTING 07.04.06 1930 EDT: And then there
were five... US officials cited by CNN and Fox News confirmed that
earlier today, North Korea test fired a total of at least
five missiles... including one, and possibly
two, Taepodong-2 long-range rockets.
In a display of ironic timing, Pyongyang fired an
intermediate-range Scud-based Rodong missile shortly after the
launch of the space shuttle Discovery Tuesday afternoon. That
rocket was soon followed by a second, similar missile.
Both of those missiles reportedly fell harmlessly into the Sea
of Japan, which separates the communist stalwart from the Japanese
mainlands. CNN reports one of the missiles reportedly fell "very
close" to the northern island of Hokkaido.
Within a half-hour of the second missile launch, the first
Taepodong-2 was launched... and for reasons as yet undetermined, it
fell from the sky 42 seconds after liftoff.
CNN reports that US Security Advisor Steven Hadley says
those tests later were followed by a second set of Rodongs, and
possibly another Taepodong-2. Officials say all the missiles
launched fell harmlessly into the sea.
The tests come three weeks after North Korea first hinted it was
preparing to test launch its Taepodong-2 multistage ICBM... and
likely represent a significant escalation of diplomatic tensions
between the communist regime of Kim Jong Il and the United
States.
Was that North Korea's intention... or are these tests simply
another attempt to divert attention away from matters in the
Persian Gulf?
"You'd have to ask the 'Dear Leader'," an unidentified US
official told CNN, derisively referring to Il by his preferred
title.
EARLIER REPORTS
ANN REALTIME REPORTING 07.04.06 1650
EDT: North Korea has test fired THREE missiles within the last
hour... and CNN is reporting that one of those missiles is the Taepodong 2 long-range, multistage
intercontinental ballistic missile the communist
regime has been preparing to fire for the past three weeks.
The exact outcome of the Taepodong 2 firing is not yet known...
but several sources tell ANN the test was a failure, with the
missile coming apart shortly after liftoff. The first two missiles,
believed to be short-range "Scud"-type missiles, both fell
harmlessly in the Sea of Japan.
Despite the reported failure of the Taepodong-2, one thing
is certain... on this, the United States' 230th birthday (a
fact likely not lost on Kim Jong Il) AND on a day when the US
is celebrating its successful return to space... the saber-rattling
coming from North Korea has just escalated... with as-yet unknown
consequences.
We will bring you more on this developing story as more
information becomes available. Stay tuned.