Posted on 10/08/2006 4:40:30 PM PDT by ARealMothersSonForever
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Hundreds of Iraqi policemen fell sick from poisoning Sunday at a base in southern Iraq after the evening meal breaking their daily Ramadan fast, and officials said they were investigating whether the poisoning was intentional.
An official with the Environment Ministry said 11 policemen had died. However, the governor of Wasit province — where the poisoning took place — denied any deaths, though he said some of the victims were in critical condition. There was no immediate explanation for the contradictory reports.
Some of the policemen began bleeding from the ears and nose after the meal, said Jassim al-Atwan, an inspector for the Environment Ministry, who was serving as a liaison in the investigation between the Health Ministry and the base, located in the town of Numaniyah.
"Hundreds of soldiers were poisoned after taking food and water in the iftar," Wasit Gov. Hamad al-Latif told the Associated Press, referring to the meal that breaks the sunrise-to-sunset fast during the Islamic holy month. "Investigations are under way to determine the cause."
Samples of the food and water were being tested "to determine the substance in them" and will be sent to Baghdad for further tests, al-Latif said.
Sunni insurgents who have targeted police and military forces with bombings and shootings have not been known to use poisoning as a weapon. But the suddenness and severity of the sickness raised speculation that the incident could be a new attack. The division is mainly made up of Shiites.
Between 600-700 policemen were affected to varying degrees, and 11 who had the heaviest amount of the food had died, al-Atwan told The Associated Press.
Some of the soldiers collapsed as soon as they stood up from them meal, others fell "one after the other" as they headed out to the yard in the base to line up in formation, al-Atwan said.
Iraqi ambulances and helicopters sent by the U.S. military rushed the policemen to hospitals in Numaniyah and the nearby city of Kut.
The afflicted policemen belonged to the 4th Division of the National Police, nicknamed the "Karrar" Division, after a title of Imam Ali, the most revered Shiite saint.
The division normally operates around the town of Salman Pak on the southeastern outskirts of Baghdad — an area of intense Shiite-Sunni killings. The division was sent to the base in Numaniyah, 60 miles southeast of the capital, for further training.
Al-Latif said food and water at the base are provided by an Australian contractor working through Iraqi subcontractors. He did not identify the Australian firm.
I guess they're going all out for their last throes.
That seems to be a general consensus. The ability to concentrate whatever was used; and accelerate the absorption and metabolizing really does point toward an exotic agent. I do not currently know anyone that is N/B/C. There is also the chance that this was not in the food. Aerosol, powder, or gas delivery could have been used.
[b.2.]
SERIAL: (U) IIR 2 340 0306 91.
/*********** THIS IS A COMBINED MESSAGE ************/
COUNTRY: (U) IRAQ (IZ).
SUBJECT: IIR 2 340 0306 91/ IRAQI CHEMICAL MUNITIONS,
MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS, AND STORAGE FACILITIES (U).
WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED
INTELLIGENCE.
- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOI: (U) 900600.
[b.2.]
[b.1. sec. 1.5.(c)]
SUMMARY: THIS REPORT FORWARDS INFORMATION
CONCERNING AM IRAQI CHEMICAL AGENT AND ITS ANTIDOTE, THE LOCATIONS
OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS STORAGE FACILITIES AND MANUFACTURING PLANTS,
AND ONE TYPE OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS DELIVERY SYSTEM.
TEXT: 1. IRAQI MUSTARD GAS--IRAQI FORCES HAD AN
EXTREMELY POTENT GAS CALLED "KHARDAL" IN ARABIC. (FLDCMT--KHARDAL
TRANSLATES IN ENGLISH AS MUSTARD.) THE GAS WAS ORIGINALLY
MANUFACTURED IN THE SOVIET UNION BUT IS NOW MADE IN SAMARAH, IZ
//3412N04352E//. SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE INCLUDE BLEEDING FROM THE
EYES, EARS, AND NOSE TWO MINUTES AFTER EXPOSURE.
2. MUSTARD GAS ANTIDOTE--THE IRAQIS POSSESSED A
SOVIET-MADE ANTIDOTE FOR THE GAS. THE ANTIDOTE WAS ADMINISTERED
VIA AN AUTO-INJECTOR WHICH CONSISTED OF A SMALL NEEDLE CONNECTEDTO
A BULB. THE BULB'S DIAMETER WAS APPROXIMATELY THREE QUARTERS OFÔINCH,
AND ITS LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH. THE INSTRUCTIONS
ON THE ANTIDOTE WERE WRITTEN IN RUSSIAN. ( [b.1. sec 1.5.(c)] SOMEIRAQIS
WHO READ RUSSIAN INDICATEO THE EXPIRATION DATES ON THE ANTIDOTES
RANGED FROM 1940 TO 1959.) IRAQI SOLDIERS FROM SOME UNITS DID NOT
USE THE ANTIDOTE AS A RESULT OF THE HIGH RATE OF USER FATALITIES.
([b.1. sec. 1.5(c)] COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FATALITIES.
POSSIBLE REASONS INCLUDED INCORRECT USAGE, EXPIRED SHELF LIFE OF
THE ANTIDOTE, OR POISONED COMPONENTS OF THE ANTIDOTE. ANOTHER
POSSIBILITY WAS THE ANTIDOTE WAS A PLACEBO AND THE GAS WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FATALITIES.)
3. IRAQI MANUFACTURE OF CHEMICAL
MUNITIONS--CHEMICALS WERE MANUFACTURED IN SAMARAH, THENTRANSPORTED
TO VARIOUS FACTORIES AND STORAGE FACILITIES WHERE THE CHEMICALS
WERE MATED WITH THE MUNITIONS AND THEN STORED. ANOTHER CHEMICAL
MANUFACTURING PLANT WAS LOCATED WEST OF THE TIKRIT/BAIJI ROAD. THE
CHEMICAL PLANT WAS CALLED A FERTILIZER PLANT, BUT IT ACTUALLY
PRODUCED PRODUCTS FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS. ( [b.1. sec.1.5.(c)] COULDNOT
REMEMBER IF THE PLANT WAS NORTH OR SOUTH OF BAIJI; HOWEVER, [b.1. sec.1.5.(c)]
INDICATED THE HIGHWAY HAD BEEN REROUTED TO TAKE TRAFFICFURTHER
EAST OF THE PLANT.) THIS PLANT HAD ITS OWN POWER STATION EQUIPPED
WITH FOUR STEAMSTACKS.
4. STORAGE OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS--THERE WERE A
NUMBER OF CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITIES IN THE VICINITY OF BAGHOAD.
THE MAJORITY OF THE FACILITIES WERE UNDERGROUND WITH DECOY
FACILITIES ABOVE GROUND. MANY OF THE DECOY FACILITIES WERE
SLAUGHTER HOUSES AND CHICKEN FACTORIES. [b.1. sec. 1.5.(c)] --CHICKEN
FACTORIES COVERED POULTRY PRODUCTION FROM HATCHERY TOPACKAGING.)
A. ONE CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITY WAS LOCATED
EAST OF DORA IN SOUTHEAST BAGHDAD. IT WAS BORDERED BY THE TIGRIS
RIVER ON THE EAST AND THE DORA EKPRESSWAY ON THE WEST. A CHICKEN
FACTORY AND A SLAUGHTER HOUSE WERE LOCATED DVER THIS COMPLEX.
CONVENTIONAL MUNITIONS WERE ALSO STORED AT THIS FACILITY.
B. A CHEMICAL MUNITIONS STORAGE FACILITY WAS
LOCATED IN THE ABANDONED CUSTOMS WAREHOUSES. THERE WERE
APPROXIMATELY NINE BUILDINGS WHICH WERE FORMERLY USED BY IRAQI
CUSTOMS OFFICIALS AS A CLEARING FACILITY. THESE BUILDINGS WERE
LOCATED HALFWAY BETWEEN BAGHDAD AND ABU GHARI8, NORTH OF
HIGHWAY 10
AND SOUTH OF AN U/I HIGHWAY STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. ROADS INSIDE
THE BUILDINGS LED TO UNDERGROUND CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITIES. THE
BUILDINGS GARAGED THE SPECIAL VEHICLES USED TO DELIVER THECHEMICAL
ROUNDS TO THE AIR FORCE, ARTILLERY, OR OTHER ELEMENTS.
C. AN UNDERGROUND CHEMICAL STORAGE FACILITY WAS
LOCATED ONE-THIRD OF THE DISTANCE FROM ZAKHU TO DAHOOK,
APPROXIMATELY 500 METERS TO THE WEST OF THE ZAKHU/DAHOOK ROAD.
ABOVE THIS FACILITY IS AN ABANDONED CHICKEN FARM. THE CHICKEN FARM
WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT BY BIG DOSHMAN COMPANY, A DUTCH COMPANY,
BETWEEN 1978 AND 1979. THE BUILDINGS REMAIN; HOWEVER, THE
INTERIORS HAVE BEEN GUTTEO.
D. THERE WAS A WEAPONS/AMMUNITION STORAGE DEPOT
IN THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF JALULA. AT THIS COMPOUND WERE SOME
BUNKERS SURROUNDED BY TIGHT SECURITY. [b.1. sec 1.5.(c)] --NO ONE WAS
ALLOWED NEAR THE BUNKERS, AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BUNKERS WERENOT
PERMITTED.) [b.1. sec. 1.5.(c)] BELIEVED THE BUNKERS CONTAINED EITHER
CHEMICAL OR MISSILE MUNITIONS.) THE BUNKER AREA WAS ENCLOSED BYA
PHYSICAL BARRIER CONSISTING OF TWO BARBED WIRE FENCES SEPARATED BY
A ROLL OF CONCERTINA WIRE. THERE WERE MANY CHECKPOINTS LOCATED
THROUGHOUT THIS HIGH SECURITY AREA.
5. CHEMICAL MUNITIONS DELIVERY SYSTEM [b.1. sec. 1.5.(c)]
AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF MISSILES IN THE IRAQI
INVENTORY--AL HUSSEIN, ABI BIL, AL HIJRAH, AND HAMZA. THE HAMZA
WAS A SECRET MISSILE THAT HAD TWELVE CHEMICAL WARHEADS. NFI.
[b.2.]
It must be some type of "Blood Agent" from somewhere
to act this fast,,,Nasty Stuff,,,
Overview: The Russian military discovered the potential use of trichothecene mycotoxins as biological toxins shortly after World War II, when civilians ate bread baked from flour contaminated with species of fusarium mold. Some victims developed a protracted lethal illness characterized by initial symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and exhaustion followed within days by fever, chills, muscular pain, and an imbalance of the red and white blood cells accompanied by pus-forming or other disease-causing organisms or their toxins in the blood or tissues.[119] According to UNSCOM, Iraq researched trichothecene mycotoxins, including T-2.[120]
Nasty nasty bastards. I would pay to watch them burn in hell slowly.
From the story, I am assuming whatever it was, it was ingested, rather than breathed or absorbed through the skin. Maybe I'm wrong?
Only 1% died from such exposure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_gas
PC rules?
What the hell?
Tell that to the hundreds of thousands of terrorists that we've put into the ground how PC this war has been.
I laugh at comments like that.
I would guess that ingestion is a hell of an exposure.
But this can't be, we all know there's none of this kind of stuff in Iraq, right?
You have obviously never tasted my wife's cooking....AAACK!
She treats me like a god...
She gives me burnt 0fferings for dinner...
600-700 Iraqi police got ill, and 10 or 11 died. So the percentage sounds similar.
If our hypothesis is correct, I guess the "No WMD" crowd will be disappointed.
Seems like strange timing. Are the roads from Syria that bad?
The story said the "soldiers". Implies to me that the cooks, dishwashers, etc. were not sickened. Just guessing; I'll have to wait to hear more.
What about T-2 mycotoxins.... 'yellow rain'? It was reported used in Afghanistan in the 80's.
'Rats would just respond that the war has inflamed them and caused them to develop wmd they would not have otherwise.
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