Hundreds of Iraq police fall ill at meal

AP via Yahoo ^ | October 8, 2006 | QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

[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.

[LadyDoc]

warfarin would do this, but takes a day to work, not hours. It stops the liver from making proteins to clot blood, but the proteins already there stick around for about a day.

[nutmeg]

Why in the world are you still awake?

Just feeding my FR/politics/news addiction. ;-)

Anyway, it's 2am... I am signing off now and heading for bed. Good night, FRiend...

[OKIEDOC]

Maybe Howard Dean was messing around and thought he was poisoning American troops.

[Centurion2000]

Is it just me or is this a little worrying considering that NK just detonated what looks like a baby nuke or an atomic fizzle tonight as well?

[ARealMothersSonForever]

It is not just you. The nuke(s) was(were) not a fizzle. Japan, China, and SK are freaked. Yet the US Congress will fail once again. I pray to be proved wrong.

[Alfonso1000]

I am not a doctor or expert but have heard of these symptoms being associated with bichloride of mercury.

[AmeriBrit]

I may be off base but different cultures have different eating habits, i.e. the English very rarely drink while eating a meal, they only drink after. Could it possibly have been dissolved in water and drank as they were finished. That would explain why maybe the chef's and other kitchen staff weren't exposed to it.

Could this also be an Iraqi custom?

[ConservativeMind]

"Ordinary treatment for such poisoning is gastric lavage, a purging of the stomach and intestines with quantities of milk and eggs. But it must be done quickly and at best one victim in four dies. Survivors often have permanently damaged kidneys. Dr. Rosenthal's antidote is sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate, which changes the poison into less toxic mercurous compounds. It is administered through a stomach tube and intravenously. Dr. Rosenthal has saved every one of ten acutely poisoned humans, without appreciable kidney damage, hopes hospitals throughout the land will test his foil for suicides."

http://205.188.238.109/time/magazine/article/0,9171,787868,00.html

[Alfonso1000]

Thanks.

[AmeriBrit]

Denying it is idiotic when every time the RATS open their
mouths they support and encourage the terrorists. Their too dumb to realize that though.

The RATS have denied there's been any WMD's from day one even though they've been given proof. With the mid-terms coming up it's more than feasible in their twisted minds the terrorists would want to cause some kind of disruption and the RATS help them every step of the way.

[Alfonso1000]

The liberals "where is the WMD" talking point is a broken record. Most of them are too stupid to realize that anyone with two years of college chemistry could make a crude mustard gas capable of killing thousands or people in a crowded area. They are too dishonest or ignorant to admit that Hussein had had the capablity of quickly producing a huge supply of mustard gas at the time we invaded Iraq.

[quesney]

Look, Iraq was a worthy experiment, but it's time to concentrate our efforts on the one group of people there who do deserve our time, money, blood and protection -- the Kurds.

Screw the rest of these Arab Islamofascists. Contain that part of the country and let them stew in their own hatred.

It's not cut and run. We handed these people a golden opportunity to become a civilized country and succesful economy (an opportunity the Kurds have seized with both hands, btw). We didn't fail -- they did.

[AmeriBrit]

Their broken record doesn't only repeat "where is the WMD" it's also "we've lost the war,we should have left Saddam alone,if we leave them alone they'll leave us alone, blah, blah, blah"....over and over and over. They're like machines stuck in one gear. I have to steer clear of them, I can't stomach them anymore.

[Alfonso1000]

I was thinking the same thing when I was reading the thread about muslims attacking French police. I ask the liberals and other misguided people this question. Why do you think muslims launch violent protests when our newspapers print a cartoon and when our religious leaders say something they disagree with. It should be obvious to all that they want to change our way of life so that it conforms to their religion.

[Kakaze]

Bump

[Battle Axe]

This could have nothing to do with the food, but rather the air circulations system.


If the men who were closest to the source of the gas were also the first ones to start eating, then the report that those who ate the most were the sickest would make it look like the food.

If it was that toxic then the perps would have to wear gas masks. (Never eat in a place where some are wearing gas masks!)

So the mode of attack, would be for everyone to come in and be seated, some would have started eating (assumed) and then set off a canister of gas as the perps slip away.

Too bad the NK nuke is the focus of the news.

[ohioWfan]

It's not cut and run

Oh, yes it is.

And the consequences of your impatience and lack of understanding that the terrorists have made Iraq their major front in destroying civilization (as evidenced by your advising that we give up) would be devastating.

The terrorists have everything to gain if we wimp out, as you suggest. The world has everything to lose.

[RDTF]

that was a great band

[RDTF]

looks like Lil Kim didn't want to lose all the limelight. I haven't even heard this story on the news yet

[ARealMothersSonForever]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1716183/posts
cgk found the update on this story.