Denmark: Possible Iraqi Blister Gas Weapons Found

Yahoo (Reuters) ^ | 1/10/04 | Reuters staff

[The_Victor]

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -

Danish troops have found dozens of mortar rounds buried in Iraq (news - web sites) which initial tests show could contain blister gas, the Danish army said on Saturday.

The tests were taken after Danish troops found 36 120mm mortar rounds on Friday in southern Iraq. The Danish army said they had been buried for at least 10 years.

"All the instruments showed indications of the same type of chemical compound, namely blister gas," the Danish Army Operational Command said on its Web site, cautioning that further tests were needed.

Blister gases, such as mustard gas, are used in chemical weapons.

Blister gas, an illegal weapon which former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) said he had destroyed, was extensively used against the Iranians during the 1980 to 1988 war.

Although it can kill if it enters the lungs, its use is primarily to debilitate infantry by causing the skin to break out in excruciatingly painful blisters.

The United States launched its war to oust Saddam on March 20 saying the Iraqi leader violated U.N. resolutions by developing weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons.

Teams of international weapons inspectors however have so far been unable to locate those weapons.

[Pubbie]

Do you have a link to photos of the shells?

[FreePaul]

...KKK Byrdbrain thinks "it is wrong!!!

If that's what he said he must think there is some substance to the report. He usually says "It is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, ....

[Dog Gone]

Prev. | Start | Next

Sat Jan 10, 3:23 PM ET

Mortar shells unearthed by Danish forces stationed in southern Iraq are shown lined up on a road near Basra in photos released January 10, 2004. The Danes have asked British specialists to test the shells to see if they could be chemical weapons, military officials said.

[Pubbie]

So what is your point?

[cake_crumb]

"I prefer eggplant parmiagiano."

Good stuff, for a vegetarian dish. I put meat in mine, LOL.

[dagnabbit]

In a related story, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been busy recently clearing chemical weapons debris buried near American University in Washington D.C. since the 1920's. Though the find has resulted in various disputes inculding lawsuits, it is not currently believed the AU dean was plotting a WMD attack on Spain.

[Hon]

"Similary, Iraq initially told UNSCOM that it had produced 3,080 tons of mustard gas, but in 1995 the regime reduced that figure to 2,850 tons. UNSCOM reported Iraq's mustard gas to be at least 80 percent pure and determined that it could be stored for long periods of time, both in bulk and in weaponized form. Experts state that in its distilled form, mustard gas has a long life, can be stockpiled for decades, and is relatively easy to produce and load into munitions. Iraq admitted filling approximately 550 artillery shells with mustard gas but says it misplaced them shortly after the Gulf War."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31228

[Dog Gone]

Why isn't it obvious to you? These are quite obviously old mortar rounds dating back to the time when Saddam admitted having them. Do they look like they're new to you?

Do they look like they could even be fired today?

It would be nice to find the chemical weapons that could have been used against our troops. But that's not what these are.

[dagnabbit]

A little paint and polish on that mortar shell and Kuwait City would be toast.

London and NYC too if they patched all the gaping holes in that relic.

[John H K]

It's questionable whether those shells are even fireable, or if the contents are even effective anymore.

A glance at the pictures shows their condition to be pretty horrible.

Rather dubious they were hidden as part of some grand plan to unearth them and use them later. They likely were simply forgotten.

And I've stated several times I do not consider chemicals to be WMD, myself.

Are these technically proscribed weapons to Iraq and violating UN resolutions? Sure. (If they do turn out to contain blister gas.)

But it's a pretty sad little "WMD" stash.

[Pubbie]

You do know that it doesn't matter how old these things are?

After the Gulf War Saddam was required to get rid of any and all WMDs including mustard gas - how old they were was irrelevant - they were ALL supposed to be destroyed.

[Pubbie]

LOL - first you people were saying "Saddam had no WMDs since 1998" and now you are saying "Old WMDs don't count".

What DO you guys want Army to find? - a working Neutron bomb?

[John H K]

It's just their PR value to the world at large will not turn out to beparticularly great.

Technically, it's a violation, but I don't think there's much value in dancing around with glee screaming "LOOK! HORRIBLE WMD! GAAAH! CASE CLOSED!" for this pathetic little stash.

And there already are proven "technical" violations of UN resolutions. A variety of missles with a little bit more range than allowed by the UN.

Their significance is basically that there may be OTHER things buried, possibly newer, and that were possibly an actual threat to someone.

[savedbygrace]

Danish troops have found dozens of mortar rounds buried in Iraq (news - web sites) which initial tests show could contain blister gas

My mother used to have a supply of that stuff. I know this, because every day or so she'd tell me, "Young man, if you don't stop that right now, I'm going to blister your hide."

[dagnabbit]

It's questionable whether those shells are even fireable

Not even questionable.

[verity]

Actually it is alar. The munitions would be set for a skyburst thus releasing the alar over the huge apple orchards in the area. ;~)

[OXENinFLA]

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=436781&section=news

Four different types of instrument were used on three of the mortar rounds, the army said in its statement, adding that 100 more rounds could be buried at the site.

Icelandic bomb specialists working with the Danish soldiers said the rounds had been found concealed in road construction, Iceland's Foreign Ministry said.It said a mobile U.S. chemical research laboratory has been sent to help.

BURIED WEAPONS

After the suspicious mortar shells were unearthed British specialists were asked to analyse them, a Danish official had said earlier.

"The first inspections have shown that the mortars contain some liquid," he said.There are several hundred Danish soldiers working with a British-led multinational force responsible for security in southern Iraq.

In Baghdad, the U.S. military said the mortar rounds had been found buried 75 km (45 miles) south of Amara, north of Basra.

"Most were wrapped in plastic bags, and some were leaking," Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told a news conference, adding that it was likely the weapons were left over from the Iran-Iraq war.

[cake_crumb]

Saddam's thugs wouldn't have buried them if they didn't think they would be able to use them later when the heat was off - like when the US got stupid, lifted sanctionas and normalized trade again. I doubt even Saddam had planned on just how insidious the UN can be when nursing THAT cash cow, but that doesn't make him innocent of possessing or having a continuing desire for WMD.

[John H K]

At no point have I ever said that Saddam had no WMDs.

I expected WMDs to be quickly found when central Iraq was entered, and posted to that effect prior to and during the war...feel free to do a search. Turns out I was wrong on that.

However, for each INDIVIDUAL supposed "WMD" find during or immediately after the war, I was skeptical of each and turned out to be correct. (I was able to separate my belief that WMD would be found from an objective analysis of INDIVIDUAL claimed finds.)

This find is a TECHNICAL violation but you have to admit after looking at the pictures that there's a certain amount of silliness in proclaiming that mess a "weapon of mass destruction."

[Dog Gone]

That's correct, they should have been destroyed. These appear to have been concealed at some point, either before or shortly after the first Gulf War, and obviously forgotten. They certainly were not maintained as any part of a continuing WMD arsenal.

While it's nice to find these, they were no threat. If and when we find WMD that Iraq could have used last March, that will be a big deal which will shut the leftists up. This find won't.