Posted on 03/22/2002 7:59:37 AM PST by grimalkin
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. troops battling remnants of the al Qaeda network in southeast Afghanistan uncovered a biological weapons laboratory during recent mountain operations, a British government source said on Friday.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the discovery was a major factor behind Britain's sudden decision this week to agree to send up to 1,700 elite mountain troops to reinforce the U.S.-led coalition waging the "war on terror."
"They found a biological weapons laboratory during Operation Anaconda," he said, giving no further details.
"One of the reasons for sending the marines out was to keep them (al Qaeda) on the run," he added. "It made the need for troops more urgent."
British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said on Monday he was rushing the troops to Afghanistan in the biggest British combat deployment since the 1991 Gulf War.
Hoon gave few details of their mission but said they were going to mop up the remnants of the al Qaeda and Taliban fighters and would stay in Afghanistan until "the job was done."
The British government source said the al Qaeda network appeared "quite well advanced in biological weapons and chemical weapons technology."
He said he was frankly amazed there had been no major incidents since the September 11 kamikaze attacks in New York and Washington, which gave even greater urgency to the operations against Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
The U.S. troops were surprised at the strength of the opposition and the sophistication of the weaponry they encountered in the high altitude operation against the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters holed up in caves in the mountains.
Eight U.S troops were killed in the operation earlier this month in the mountains south east of the Afghan capital Kabul.
The United States, which has poured thousands of troops into Afghanistan, said on Monday Operation Anaconda -- the biggest battle of the war to date -- was winding down.
Following the apparent success of the Afghan operations, the United States has turned its political sights increasingly on Iraq which, along with North Korea and Iran, it accuses of making weapons of mass destruction and spawning terror.
They are just biding their time. I hate to say this but most of us New Yorkers fully expect to get hit again by these snakes!
:) ttt
They are among the most cowardly humans I have seen. They prey on children, innocent unarmed people. How brave they are. How easy to kill unarmed, unsuspecting people.
In Palestine - they are merely trying genocide. Let them go to war. Maybe then they will fight like men and fight other armed men and leave the babies and children alone.
Such cowards.
In a nutshell!
...Wonder where the lab they found is...
:) ttt
And above all else, don't think of responding in any way...
You might hurt "innocent" children.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!
The most abundant substances in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
It would be a pretty safe bet that if they have made bio weapons, they have gotten who knows how many out of the country by now. But California is another likely target.
You are so right. The democrats have even aided in this effort by their constant and dnagerous calls to forget that 3000 people died just so they can push their agenda.
I disagree. Why wouldn't they hold onto them until they feel the time is right to create the maximum amout of terror/damage/death/mayhem?
MKM
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