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.

[lorrainer]

No Cartier, Chanel, Dior, DKNY or Givenchy? How can a girl live like that? LOL

Add my once-beloved Boucheron cologne *sigh*

Aqualung (Including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest)

I don't think this will affect my Jethro Tull collection, though, LOL

[Future Useless Eater]

Hi GD. Loved your BOYCOTT FRENCH PRODUCTS LIST!

You left out one HUGE travel agency...

Carlson Wagonlit Travel
proof is at:
http://www.accor.com/gb/index.asp

I would like to review your latest list frequently.
Would you please keep the latest one bookmarked at the top of your profile page?

That way, any of us can simply CLICK ON YOUR HANDLE at any time, to get to the list.

You can force it to the TOP of your profile bookmarks by putting the title in brackets like this:
<BOYCOTT FRENCH PRODUCTS LIST>

and dont forget to link directly to the post# of your list, not just the top of the thread, for example, your list in this thread would be at:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/868278/posts?page=15#15

keep up the good work!

[JustPiper]

We're bringing our own bridges

We have portable ones yes?

[JustPiper]

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

Nor does he hve 50 methods of delivery right?

[Archangelsk]

MOAB

Uh, then how do you cross the river? Please, dear Lord, don't tell me scissor and pontoon bridges. (Also, you might consider what the MOAB is actually used for, creating instant LZs).

[ApesForEvolution]

I erroneously omitted Mexico (there's so many on the list now) and will add Chile. So much for fresh fruit...

[Atlas Sneezed]

"It's true that some of these companies are owned by French companies (at least in part) but many produce their products right here in America with American workers."

Actually, when the French company's sales decline, the unchanged demand will shift to a non-french competitor, which will logilcally be looking to hire people to help produce their product.

Americans should not labor to generate profit for our enemies.

[Archangelsk]

Thank you Beck for inserting a dose of reality.

[carl in alaska]

I believe chlorine neutralizes nerve agents, and of course incendiary bombs that create a powerful hot fire would destroy the active chemical agent. Maybe now Blix and his inspectors will be able to find some WMD.

[Tree of Liberty]

Yep. Actually, we have a couple ( link 1 and link 2) plus the floating bridge modules that the corps of engineers can set up.

[ApesForEvolution]

Spot on.

[Crowcreek]

You know Winchchester has some very nice, cheap, spring-piston pellet rifles in the Big 5 stores -- Made in Turkey!

I'm sure glad I don't want one, I'm personally keeping an eye out for the "T-word" as well !

[Beck_isright]

"Thank you Beck for inserting a dose of reality.

And thank you. I'm sure 99% of the other vets on this board will tell anyone that any battle plan has good and bad suprises. I'm praying that W sets the American public straight and does not overhype our superiority to the point where everyone thinks this will be a brief war. Not only will we have some intense battles in Iraq, but I'm afraid, based on Ridge's comments, some major problems at home. And I'm still not 100% sold on the all new "Clintonized" pc military that was not there when I retired in 92-93. I pray for everyone and especially our boys overseas tonight.

[Grampa Dave]

Lets wait until this is over before we throw Turkey into bed with the French, Germans, Belgiums, Russians and Chi Coms. There may be a little strategy going on up north of Iraq.

[Grampa Dave]

I will try to do this, if I don't remind me. I'm recovering from an FLV Funny Little Virus attack.

[Grampa Dave]

Why don't you make a list of the Belgian Companies. When you do, I will transfer Browning and Winchester arms to your list.

The French products will keep me quite busy.

We need someone to do a German list too.

[Grampa Dave]

This is where this gets so confusing. What do you think, should Perrier be on the bottle. How many Frenchmen make their living bottling and transporting Perrier?

[Ramius]

Ummm... somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but *my* NBC warfare training was that VX is a *gas*. Nerve agents don't function as a contact poison. Some blister agents, maybe, but that's a really ineffective way to deploy, since it is easy to avoid and defeat.

Biological agents only work in the strategic sense, not the tactical sense. They take too long to work, and are too easily defeated with antibiotics and immunizations once detected. The only time that bio weapons really work are when they can be deployed on an unsuspecting population. We're not unsuspecting.

This would be a really stupid time for Saddam to deploy chem/bio agents. Not that this will occur to him... but we're way to ready for it.

[Grampa Dave]

This is great: