Report Cites Al Qaeda Deal For Iraqi Gas

Washington Post ^ | 12/12/2002 | Barton Gellman

[Pokey78]

U.S. Suspects Nerve Agent VX Was Smuggled Through Turkey

The Bush administration has received a credible report that Islamic extremists affiliated with al Qaeda took possession of a chemical weapon in Iraq last month or late in October, according to two officials with firsthand knowledge of the report and its source. They said government analysts suspect that the transaction involved the nerve agent VX and that a courier managed to smuggle it overland through Turkey.

If the report proves true, the transaction marks two significant milestones. It would be the first known acquisition of a nonconventional weapon other than cyanide by al Qaeda or a member of its network. It also would be the most concrete evidence to support the charge, aired for months by President Bush and his advisers, that al Qaeda terrorists receive material assistance in Iraq. If advanced publicly by the White House, the report could be used to rebut Iraq's assertion in a 12,000-page declaration Saturday that it had destroyed its entire stock of chemical weapons.

[concerned about politics]

A second attack will cause a much stronger affect.

Yeh. The first one had shock value. I think people were still in shock for at least a month afterwards!
If they try to pull anything again, the shock will last about one minute, but the outrage will be immediate and last forever.

[dagnabbit]

Skip the border. The next Mohammed Atta will retrace the steps of the last one. He can be met at the International Arrivals gate at the large airport of your choice. He'll be the one with the genuine, valid, U.S. tourist visa.

[Imal]

Hold muh atropine bump.

[dagnabbit]

No kidding. It's worth remembering that these are the same appeaseniks who opposed us even doing anything in Afghanistan against Al Qada and their Taliban hosts. Other than "surrender", these folks have no solutions to offer. Even their bit about "let the UN do its work" is a canard, since they've long wanted all UN sanctions against Saddam lifted.

[Travis McGee]

I also looked up to see if this was from DEBKA! But the ComPost!? This is big.

[American in Israel]

The real danger with VX is that it has an extremly long half life for a nerve agent. The V in vx stands for long life. If they would use it in the subway a person that walked in there and touched the wall two months later could die from the exposure within 15 minutes.

VX is oily and sticks to things. It is very hard to de-activate. VX is clearly marked as a weapon of mass destruction in military journals. It has not been used in active warfare due to the great danger of wind shifing the gas back on your troops. Gas masks are not enough to stop VX as a droplet smaller than the width of a human hair that touches your skin means death.

If this report is true, America should have wiped out Iraq the first time, and has more than enough justification for the use of nuclear weapons this time. Giving WMD to terrorists is beyond Insane.

Can you imagine, one idiot with a vial of this could shut down any mass transit system in any major city in the world for months, killing hundreds of people in the act. It would take over a year before it would be safe to ride in the subway again.

[SevenDaysInMay]

The Underground, televised sporting events, and casino spritzer vectors. London will be made an example. Moscow knows this too well. Eurabia's capital Paris will be spared for now. Sinful recreational hub Las Vegas is also a prime target, perfect for communicable bio attacks.

Why Hollywood's finest think that the Shariya would not be applied to them and their unaborted bastards is beyond me.

Merry Christmas.

[Travis McGee]

RED ALERT

[Travis McGee]

Why Hollywood's finest think that the Shariya would not be applied to them and their unaborted bastards is beyond me. Merry Christmas.

SDIM, you have a way with words.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

And the recent announcement by the FedGov, stating that following a WMD attack, we would obliterate the attacking source nation via all weaponry at our disposal. Merely a coincidence?

Time to stay locked and loaded. IMO, stock up on provisions and munitions. It won't be long before a day of retribution will come.

[gorebegone]

International sign for al qadea...

[MHGinTN]

Trav, is VX a binary agent?

[shadowman99]

Dear Hollywood Celebs:

As the mainstream press picks up and runs with this story, you are about to looks very stupid. You will soon regret signing the protest letter that you thought was a good idea.

Just remember, you can always go to France. Please, go to France!

Now drink a nice tall glass of shut the F' up!

Yours truely,
The rest of America.

[mathurine]

My recollection from CBR training long ago is that nerve gas in concentration would be fatal, but the amount it would take to cause mass casualties would be huge. I think it would be useful as a precision weapon, to kill everyone on a target you needed to immobilize or wanted to take over altogether. If the camel jocks use some on any of us, however, nuke the whole lot of them. They want to die for their cause, and deserve it richly. As to their counterparts in our midst, we probably won't have to worry about them once the enablers are gone.

[river rat]

Mass murder -- in transit to a city, perhaps and American city, curtesy of a bunch of Arab Muslim lunatics who pretend they follow a "Religion of Peace"..

If the SHTF, the Arab world supporters of terrorism in the middle east had better bend over and kiss their ass goodbye... Also, if our American Muslim population makes too many additional mistakes as to being radical Muslim before American - they are going to find the welcome mat pulled out from under their feet..."with severe consequences".

Folks are simply going to have to pick sides for the all out war to come......and come it will...if these bastards continue to export their hate to our shores.

If those murderous bastards continue to conduct war against us.. they shall have it... However, it won't be fought from horseback or with swords this time... If they introduce WMDs - they will have sealed their doom.

Semper Fi

[Southack]

Imal nailed it; the antidote to VX (and Sarin and many other nerve gases) is the liquid form of a nerve agent called atropine.

Ideally (yeah, like there is an "ideal" to an exposure to a weapon of mass destruction) 2mg of liquid atropine is injected into your thigh every 6 minutes after exposure, or if the injection is "late to the party", injected directly into your heart.

For either, what you will probably want to possess is a NAAK (Nerve Agent Antidote Kit), but civilians will probably have a difficult time getting them.

But don't fret. Atropine in diluted solution and even topical cream form can be purchased legally for your pet (you do have a pet, right??). Without question having an atropine cream covering all of your skin would yield some level of protection (post-exposure) to VX or Sarin non-inhaled exposure (though lets not go trying this for fun, shall we).

To purchase, Click Here - or find anther such pet shop

[Travis McGee]

I don't think so, but it's not my area.

[freethinkingman]

I agree with MTR, this is not coincidence that Bush has just recently given ovr to the congress the statement about our retaliation if WMD weapons are used on us.

I think that war is imminent, the same statement was made clear to Iraq in the days leading up to the Gulf War.

[Travis McGee]

I am guessing that soldies forced to fight in hot bulky claustrophobic chemical protective suits will not be too picky about stopping and taking prisoners.