Possible Iraqi Blister Gas Weapons Found
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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Danish troops have found dozens of mortar rounds buried in Iraq (news - web sites) which initial chemical weapons tests show could contain blister gas, the Danish army said on Saturday.
The tests were taken after Danish troops found 36 120mm mortar rounds on Friday in southern Iraq.
"All the instruments showed indications of the same type of chemical compound, namely blister gas," the Danish Army Operational Command said on its Web site.
"However, this will not be confirmed until the final tests are available," it said in a statement. Results of the final tests are likely to be ready in about two days.
Blister gas, an illegal weapon which ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) said he had destroyed, was extensively used against the Iranians during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
Although it can kill if it enters the lungs, it is used mainly to weaken infantry by making the skin break out in excruciatingly painful blisters.
Four different types of instrument were used on three of the mortar rounds, the army said in its statement, adding that 100 more rounds could be buried at the site.
After Danish troops found the suspicious mortar shells they asked British specialists to analyze them, a Danish official had said earlier. "The first inspections have shown that the mortars contain some liquid," he said.
In Baghdad, the U.S. military said the mortar rounds had been found buried 45 miles south of Al-Amara, north of Basra.
"Most were wrapped in plastic bags, and some were leaking," Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told a news conference, adding that it was likely the weapons were left over from the Iran-Iraq war.
ILLICIT WEAPONS
The Danish army statement said local Iraqis had confirmed that the 36 mortar shells had been buried for at least 10 years at the site 12 miles north of Qurnah.
There are several hundred Danish soldiers working with a British-led multinational force responsible for security in southern Iraq.
The U.S. administration had cited the threat of illicit weapons of mass destruction as a principle reason for launching war on Iraq in March last year. But no such weapons were found.
The United States earlier this month pulled out from Iraq a 400-member military team specializing in the disposal of weapons of mass destruction, in what the New York Times said was "a sign that administration might have lowered its sights" and viewed it as less likely that such weapons would be found.
But the White House played down the move, saying that the group focused on hunting weapons was remaining in Iraq.
(Additional reporting by Per Bech Thomsen in Copenhagen)
"Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man." - The Dude, 1998
19 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo!
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Danish troops have found dozens of mortar rounds buried in Iraq (news - web sites) which initial chemical weapons tests show could contain blister gas, the Danish army said on Saturday.
The tests were taken after Danish troops found 36 120mm mortar rounds on Friday in southern Iraq.
"All the instruments showed indications of the same type of chemical compound, namely blister gas," the Danish Army Operational Command said on its Web site.
"However, this will not be confirmed until the final tests are available," it said in a statement. Results of the final tests are likely to be ready in about two days.
Blister gas, an illegal weapon which ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) said he had destroyed, was extensively used against the Iranians during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
Although it can kill if it enters the lungs, it is used mainly to weaken infantry by making the skin break out in excruciatingly painful blisters.
Four different types of instrument were used on three of the mortar rounds, the army said in its statement, adding that 100 more rounds could be buried at the site.
After Danish troops found the suspicious mortar shells they asked British specialists to analyze them, a Danish official had said earlier. "The first inspections have shown that the mortars contain some liquid," he said.
In Baghdad, the U.S. military said the mortar rounds had been found buried 45 miles south of Al-Amara, north of Basra.
"Most were wrapped in plastic bags, and some were leaking," Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told a news conference, adding that it was likely the weapons were left over from the Iran-Iraq war.
ILLICIT WEAPONS
The Danish army statement said local Iraqis had confirmed that the 36 mortar shells had been buried for at least 10 years at the site 12 miles north of Qurnah.
There are several hundred Danish soldiers working with a British-led multinational force responsible for security in southern Iraq.
The U.S. administration had cited the threat of illicit weapons of mass destruction as a principle reason for launching war on Iraq in March last year. But no such weapons were found.
The United States earlier this month pulled out from Iraq a 400-member military team specializing in the disposal of weapons of mass destruction, in what the New York Times said was "a sign that administration might have lowered its sights" and viewed it as less likely that such weapons would be found.
But the White House played down the move, saying that the group focused on hunting weapons was remaining in Iraq.
(Additional reporting by Per Bech Thomsen in Copenhagen)
"Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man." - The Dude, 1998
