L@mplighterM
03-25-2003, 10:21 PM
Discovery of chemical suits at Iraqi base raises fears of gas attack
US capture of hospital reveals secret antidote stock
Julian Borger in Washington
Wednesday March 26, 2003
The Guardian
United States marines who captured an Iraqi military base in Nassiriya found thousands of chemical protection suits and nerve gas antidote, raising fears that Baghdad may be planning a gas attack to fend off the US-led invasion, US officers said yesterday.
The marines found 3,000 chemical suits and a chest full of the antidote atropine in a hospital that they said Iraqi soldiers had been using as a base in the fight for a strategically important crossing point on the Euphrates river.
The hospital was seized when the US soldiers came under fire from the building on Monday, despite the fact that it was flying the Red Crescent flag. US officials said that 170 Iraqi troops were captured, and that the hospital's doctors and patients had fled before the assault began.
"Prior to going in, the marines used loudspeakers outside of the hospital to encourage the doctors and patients ... to evacuate," a US military statement said. "No civilians were in the hospital at the time it was seized."
The discoveries at the hospital represented the clearest evidence to date that Iraq's armed forces anticipated the use of chemical weapons such as VX gas. British troops have captured Iraqi fighters around Basra carrying gas masks, but the presence of so many full chemical suits suggests a far more serious intent.
The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, yesterday said there had been "intelligence scraps" and "chatter in the system" suggesting that orders might have been given to Republican Guard units ringing the capital to use chemical or biological weapons against the approaching US-led forces. But he added "who knows how accurate [the reports] are."
In the first days of the war, US and Australian special forces staged night raids on Iraqi command and communication posts in the hope of stopping the transmission of orders to use weapons of mass destruction.
US intelligence, however, said there were signs that artillery shells with chemical or biological warheads had been distributed to Republican Guard units ringing Baghdad days before the war began, with orders to use them if they faced defeat.
US planes have dropped millions of leaflets on the Iraqi troops warning that any officer who carried out orders to use the weapons would face war crimes charges after the war.
US and British mobile monitoring units are accompanying frontline troops to give early warning of a chemical or biological attack. Specialist teams are also combing captured territory in the search for banned weapons, to prevent them being used, and to find proof of Iraqi programmes of weapons of mass productions, which is the principal justification for the war. So far, no such find has been made.
Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and an expert on the Saddam regime, expressed doubts about the theory that there was a "red line" around Baghdad, beyond which chemical or biological weapons would be used against coalition forces. "My guess is that it's probably more sophisticated than that," Mr Pollack said.
"Saddam always expected the battle would be fought and won in Baghdad. And he always expected that it would be won politically," he said. "If he starts using chemicals he risks losing what is most important to him - international public opinion."
"He is not urging a scorched earth policy, because he clearly thinks he's going to be in possession of Iraq when all this over."
However, Mr Pollack said that Saddam might change his mind if coalition forces neared the entrance to Baghdad and it was clear that the regime faced an imminent threat.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,922158,00.html
I wouldn’t be surprised if this war went nuclear if Iraq used WMD. Bush authorized the use of nuclear weapons (back in January?)against Iraq if they used such weapons.
I’m certain that they wouldn’t have the suits and antidote unless they were planning to use them. Since they know that the US wont use such weapons the Iraqis must have them in their possessions.
US capture of hospital reveals secret antidote stock
Julian Borger in Washington
Wednesday March 26, 2003
The Guardian
United States marines who captured an Iraqi military base in Nassiriya found thousands of chemical protection suits and nerve gas antidote, raising fears that Baghdad may be planning a gas attack to fend off the US-led invasion, US officers said yesterday.
The marines found 3,000 chemical suits and a chest full of the antidote atropine in a hospital that they said Iraqi soldiers had been using as a base in the fight for a strategically important crossing point on the Euphrates river.
The hospital was seized when the US soldiers came under fire from the building on Monday, despite the fact that it was flying the Red Crescent flag. US officials said that 170 Iraqi troops were captured, and that the hospital's doctors and patients had fled before the assault began.
"Prior to going in, the marines used loudspeakers outside of the hospital to encourage the doctors and patients ... to evacuate," a US military statement said. "No civilians were in the hospital at the time it was seized."
The discoveries at the hospital represented the clearest evidence to date that Iraq's armed forces anticipated the use of chemical weapons such as VX gas. British troops have captured Iraqi fighters around Basra carrying gas masks, but the presence of so many full chemical suits suggests a far more serious intent.
The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, yesterday said there had been "intelligence scraps" and "chatter in the system" suggesting that orders might have been given to Republican Guard units ringing the capital to use chemical or biological weapons against the approaching US-led forces. But he added "who knows how accurate [the reports] are."
In the first days of the war, US and Australian special forces staged night raids on Iraqi command and communication posts in the hope of stopping the transmission of orders to use weapons of mass destruction.
US intelligence, however, said there were signs that artillery shells with chemical or biological warheads had been distributed to Republican Guard units ringing Baghdad days before the war began, with orders to use them if they faced defeat.
US planes have dropped millions of leaflets on the Iraqi troops warning that any officer who carried out orders to use the weapons would face war crimes charges after the war.
US and British mobile monitoring units are accompanying frontline troops to give early warning of a chemical or biological attack. Specialist teams are also combing captured territory in the search for banned weapons, to prevent them being used, and to find proof of Iraqi programmes of weapons of mass productions, which is the principal justification for the war. So far, no such find has been made.
Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and an expert on the Saddam regime, expressed doubts about the theory that there was a "red line" around Baghdad, beyond which chemical or biological weapons would be used against coalition forces. "My guess is that it's probably more sophisticated than that," Mr Pollack said.
"Saddam always expected the battle would be fought and won in Baghdad. And he always expected that it would be won politically," he said. "If he starts using chemicals he risks losing what is most important to him - international public opinion."
"He is not urging a scorched earth policy, because he clearly thinks he's going to be in possession of Iraq when all this over."
However, Mr Pollack said that Saddam might change his mind if coalition forces neared the entrance to Baghdad and it was clear that the regime faced an imminent threat.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,922158,00.html
I wouldn’t be surprised if this war went nuclear if Iraq used WMD. Bush authorized the use of nuclear weapons (back in January?)against Iraq if they used such weapons.
I’m certain that they wouldn’t have the suits and antidote unless they were planning to use them. Since they know that the US wont use such weapons the Iraqis must have them in their possessions.