Special forces already inside Iraq: Chemical response expected to U.S. Operation Iraqi Freedom

NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES ^ | March 18, 2003 | Jim Miklaszewski

[estjohn]

U.S. special forces and CIA agents have already entered Iraq and are scouting potential targets, gathering intelligence and preparing the battlefield for a U.S. invasion that would likely be code-named Operation Iraqi Freedom, military sources told NBC News on Tuesday.

[snip]

They also revealed that intelligence reports were indicating that Saddam was preparing to use chemical weapons against U.S. troops.

Artillery shells with chemical warheads were being handed out to troops of Saddam's elite Republican Guard at Al Kut, southeast of Baghdad, the reports indicated, while preparations were under way to coat bridges and roadways with a lethal VX nerve agent to slow U.S. troops on their advance to Baghdad.

U.S. intelligence reports also indicated that Saddam had as many as 50 unmanned drones he could use to attack U.S. troops with chemical weapons from the air, the sources told NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski.

[estjohn]

Not sure if this has been posted but I haven't seen it and it didn't show up on search.

Are there countermeasures for VX on bridges? Can it be neutralized or do you just have to bypass it....

[estjohn]

Oops, screwed up the title, perhaps an admin can remove "For".

[Tree of Liberty]

We're bringing our own bridges

[Publius Maximus]

Are there countermeasures for VX on bridges?

MOAB

[Redcloak]

I'd think that a wee splash of napalm would do the trick. Flame it off and keep going. The same would work for biological agents.

[samtheman]

Sadam is doing exactly what he's wanted to do all along: use WMD against Americans.

The Dim-Wit-Crats are doing exactly what they wanted to do all along: side with the enemy.

Bush is doing exactly what he said he would do all along: lead our nation in self-defence.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The tip of the spear:

Tue Mar 18, 3:03 PM ET

U.S. Marine Cpl. Brian Shumylo of Dyer, Ind., shields his face from blowing sand around the landing pad at an air base in Kuwait after arriving by helicopter from a ship Tuesday, March, 18, 2003. Shumylo is in a unit that helps load heavy-lifting helicopters. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Tue Mar 18, 7:47 AM ET

A British soldier from the Dragoon Guards 3 Commando carries out training exercises in northern Kuwait, March 18, 2003. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites), poised to take Britain to war, suffered two more ministerial resignations over Iraq (news - web sites) on Tuesday ahead of what is expected to be a huge parliamentary rebellion over his hawkish policy. REUTERS/POOL/Paul Grover

[cmsgop]

Ping!

[CarmelValleyite]

but...but...he doesn't HAVE any weapons of mass destruction, right???????

[js1138]

I was hoping the operation would be named "Frogger".

[oceanview]

maybe I am missing something, but the units holding these VX weapons are going to be bombed, right? now when the bombs are dropped on these stockpiles, won't the nerve gas be released onto the Iraqi units holding them? I would also like to know why, if we somehow can know that this material is being deployed, why not hit the VX depot with a predator and release the material amongst the Iraqi troops in advance of our advance? who would even know it was us, the story could be that they exploded because of mishandling.

[Grampa Dave]

Just remember what you posted and be quiet.

[Grampa Dave]

Napalm will destroy any biological or chemical agent. We should clean it up and drop in the UN and on Paris.

[LayoutGuru2]

VX on bridges, this might help with the cleanup.

[Grampa Dave]

The Whore$ of France and Germany are responsible if any WMD stuff is used by the Islamofacist thugs of Soddamned.

If one of our troops is harmed by a WMD, we should boycott both countries for a decade. Below is a list of French Companies and Products we should be boycotting.

$crew the Frogs with buycotts for the rest of this decade. Here is a simple list of products not to buy:

Here is a list of French companies and their products to avoid for the rest of this decade. Please keep this list and send it to your relatives, friends and fellow conservatives via e and snail mail!

*New additions to the list thanks to Freepers. If you have an addition, Freepmail me with the URL showing French ownership.

Air France
Air Liquide
Airbus
Alcatel - Based in Paris France
Allegra (Allergy Medication) - Produced by Aventis Pharmaceuticals based in Strasbourg, France
Aqualung (Including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest)
AXA Advisors
*Bacou-Dalloz-Makes Industrial protective devices
Bank of the West - Owned by BNP Paribas
Beneteau (boats)
BF Goodrich - Owned by Michelin
BIC (Razors, Pens & Lighters) - Started in 1945 by Marcel Bich. Originally based just outside of Paris. Began trading on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1972. 40.5% Publicly traded. Bich family still owns 33.5%.
Biotherm (Cosmetics)
Black Bush
Bollinger (Champagne)
*Browning Firearms**
Car & Driver Magazine
Cartier
Chanel
Chivas Regal (Scotch)
Christian Dior
Club Med (Vacations) - Owned in part by Paris based CDC (Caisse des Dépôts
et Consignations)
Culligan (owned by Vivendi)
Dannon (Yogurt & Dairy Foods)
*Danone -Lea and Perrin, Evian and other food/water
*Decatholon Super Sport Stores or MVP Sport Stores*
* Dassault Systemes-(CATIA design software)*
DKNY - LVMH acquired 100% of Gabrielle Studio Inc., the privately owned licenser of Donna Karan trademarks back in 2001.
*DMC THREADS
Dom Perignon
Durand Crystal
Elle Magazine
*Emile Henry French Cookware
*Enertec makes high speed recorders used in Recon aircraft
Essilor Optical Products
Evian
Fina Oil - Billions invested in Iraqi Oil fields
First Hawaiian Bank
George Magazine
Givenchy
*Grey Goose Vodka
*GroupeSEB owns Krups, Moulinex, Roweta and Tefal Cookware
*Groupe Shneider, owner of Modicon and Square D
*Guerlain Fragrances
*Hachette Filipacchi owner publisher of many magazines sold in the USA. See the list below:***
Hennessy
Houghton Mifflin (books)
International Herald Tribune - 181 ave Charles-de-Gaulle - F-92521 Neuilly - FRSource:World Business Council for Sustainable Development '00 [Domain Registration], [Corporate Profile]
Jacobs Creek - Owned by Pernod Ricard since 1989
Jameson (wiskey)
Jerry Springer (talk show)
Krups
Lancome
*Lea & Perrins a product of Danon
Le Creuset (Cookware)
L'Oreal (Health & Beauty Products)
Louis Vuitton
Marie Claire
Martel Cognac
Maybelline
Méphisto (Footwear & Apparel)
Michelin (Tires & Auto Parts) - Their phone number is: (33) 1 45 66 15 53 in France
Mikasa Crystal and Glass (purchased by ARC int'l in 2001)
Moet (Champagne)
Motel 6 - 33, Avenue du Maine- 75755 Paris Cedex 15 France
Motown Records
MP3.com
Mumms (Champagne)
Nissan (Cars) - Majority owned by Renault
Nivea
Normany Butter
Parents Magazine
*Perrier
Peugeot (Automobiles) - Pronounced "Pooh Joe", must be French
Pierre Cardin
Playstation Magazine
ProScan - Owned by Thomson Electronics, France
Publicis Group (Including: Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising)
RCA (televisions & electronics) - Owned by Thomson Electronics, France
Red Magazine
Red Roof Inns - Owned by the Accor group based in France
Renault (Automobiles)
Road & Track Magazine
Roquefort Cheese - All Roquefort cheese is made in France
Rowenta (Toasters, Irons, Coffee makers, etc)
Royal Canadian
Salomon (Skis)
Seagram's Gin
Sierra Software and Computer Games
*Sodexho Alliance* French Food Caterer for the US Marines
Sofitel (Hotels) - Owned by the Accor group based in France
Sparkletts (Water) - Owned by Danone, based in France
Spencer Gifts
Sundance Channel
Taylor Made (Golf)
Technicolor
T-Fal (Kitchenware)
The Glenlivet (Scotch
*Top Tobacco - Dist. by Republic Tobacco L.P., Glenview IL, made in France
UbiSoft (Computer Games)
Uniroyal
Uniroyal Tires - Owned by Michelin
Universal Studios (Music, Movies & Theme Parks) - Universal Studios is owned by Vivendi-Universal, headquartered in Paris France
USFilter
Veritas Group
Veuve Clicquot Champagne
Vittel
Vivendi - Vivendi Headquarters, Paris France
Wild Turkey (bourbon)
*Winchester Firearms (US Repeating Arms)**
Woman's Day Magazine
Yoplait - France-based Sodiaal owns a 50% stake of Yoplait
Yves Saint Laurent
*Yves Rocher Cosmetics
*ZigZag (tobacco papers and roller products)*
Zodiac Inflatable Boats

*New additions to the list thanks to Freepers. If you have an addition, Freepmail me with the URL showing French ownership.
** Sad news but these two companies are owned by the Belgian Company Herstal, (French Light)
***List of 18 magazines sold in USA by Hachette Filipacchi with an estimated 50 million readers:
American Photo, Boating, Car Stereo Review's Mobile Entertainment, Cycle World, ELLE Decor, ELLEgirl, Flying, Home, Metropolitan Home, Popular Photography, Premiere, Sound & Vision, Travel Holiday, Woman's Day Woman's Day Special Interest Publications.



I'm asking for volunteers to create a good product list of alternative products. If you are an expert in a category or would like start a list of American or Ally products/services, let me know. I will list the alternative category and have your freeper name as the list keeper. That way people can freep you for your list. Once you get it set up and have a master copy in your FreepMail, you can just copy it for each reply to the request.

[knak]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Like the name.

[dep]

no offense to saddam, who i am sure has spent a lot of time on this, but a fairly talented troop of boy scouts could get around his defenses. a big blu or two above artillery emplacements, and that particular profession will suddenly have as many openings as there were for web designers five years ago. as to vx on the bridges, our old friend mr. flamethrower will do a happydandy homer formby on those. i daresay the chief chem/bio problem we're likely to encounter will be the load in saddam's drawers when we find him. unless we're very quick on the trigger. hope somebody sneaks in a .45, because if there was ever anyone who deserved getting gutshot with hardball and given a painful hour or so to make peace with whatever he worships, it's him.

dep

p.s. -- too bad we don't have donohue on tonight, isn't it.

[Billthedrill]

Coating a bridge with VX? Man, talk about your crappy details! "Private Abdul, come here. Take this swab. When the rest of us are at a safe distance, open this can and coat the bridge with the liquid inside as fast as you can. It'll be OK, trust me..."

[MindBender26]

U.S. special forces and CIA agents have already entered Iraq

They have been there for months/years!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Are there countermeasures for VX on bridges? Can it be neutralized or do you just have to bypass it....

MOAB.