More WMDs

[Mulholland]

Polish Troops Discover Iraq Bio-Weapons

Fri Jul 2,11:02 AM ET

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA, Associated Press Writer

WARSAW, Poland - Terrorists may have been close to obtaining munitions containing the deadly nerve agent cyclosarin that Polish soldiers recovered last month in Iraq (news - web sites), the head of Poland's military intelligence said Friday.

Polish troops had been searching for munitions as part of their regular mission in south-central Iraq when they were told by an informant in May that terrorists had made a bid to buy the chemical weapons, which date back to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s war with Iran in the 1980s, Gen. Marek Dukaczewski told reporters in Warsaw.

{snip}

Dukaczewski refused to give any further details about the terrorists or the sellers of the munitions, saying only that his troops thwarted terrorists by purchasing the 17 rockets for a Soviet-era launcher and two mortar rounds containing the nerve agent for an undisclosed sum June 23.


AP

[Mulholland]

Nothing to see here, move along please...{/blinders}

[techweenie]

"...terrorists had made a bid to buy the chemical weapons, which date back to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s war with Iran in the 1980s"

LOL!

Might do you some good to research the shelf life of that stuff, Mul

Just in case your search feature is still disabled, this is from that commie pinko source, the CIA:

""Iraq is not able to make good-quality chemical agents. Technical failures have reduced their purity and caused problems in storage and handling. This is a particular problem for the sarin- type nerve agents (GB and GF). These both contain hydrofluoricacid (HF), an impurity that attacks metal surfaces and catalyzes nerve agent decomposition. This leads to metal failure and leaks in the ammunition, increasing handling hazards. ... Lower purity significantly limits shelf life and reduces toxic effects when the munition is employed. ... The nerve agent should have already begun to deteriorate, and decomposition should make most of the nerve agent weapons unserviceable by the end of March 1991."

Sounds like maybe we can sell those 'terrorists' the Brooklyn Bridge. Maybe sell one to Mul, too.

[Overpaid Slacker]

Tech -
So you're willing to believe the CIA on this matter? How 'bout *all* the others?

Did the shells contain nerve agent or not? If so (and they were Hussein's), it's a WMD and therefore a breach of Iraq's obligations and representations, whether or not the agents still have their full potency.

JP

[techweenie]

I think the CIA's knowledge of basic chemistry is pretty good, but I can find an even more suspect source if you doubt them.

The urgent threat that apparently frightened GWB was purported nuclear weapons and *tons* of chemical weapons, now you guys are counting ounces and ignoring the fact it's completely decomposed.

The US cannot keep track of its own radioactive materials, but you expect Saddam's boys not to lose less than 0.01% of their munitions? Wow.

[Mulholland]

Originally posted by techweenie
Might do you some good to research the shelf life of that stuff, Mul

Why do I have this vision of you like the Wicked Witch of the West just after Dorothy poured a bucket of water on her?

From the same article...

The warheads all contained cyclosarin, multinational force commander Polish Gen. Mieczyslaw Bieniek said.

"Laboratory tests showed the presence in them of cyclosarin, a very toxic gas, five times stronger than sarin and five times more durable," Bieniek told Poland's TVN24 at the force's Camp Babylon headquarters.

Hate to be the bearer of good news, tech...Where there is smoke there is fire.

[techweenie]

Hate to tell you this, Mul, but the CIA article was referring to both sarin and cyclosarin.

Meaning that the cyclosarin also would have been 100% degraded as well, 13 years ago. Even if it started out more potent than sarin.

But hey, if something a Polish general may have said is more convenient to you than what the CIA's experts conclude, then by all means you should go with that. I mean, he wouldn't be overstating the danger to make his actions seem more significant... No responsible person would do that...

[techweenie]

Plenty to read here:

http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/al_muth/al_muth_s02.htm

You'll see that Iraq had about 10,000 chemical weapons shells in 1996. I guess we only have another 9,980 to find, then.

[techweenie]

Lynn: "Posting tidbit news clips about finding this or finding that to get another shouting match going amoung the small group that hangs around here is all much ado about nothing."

Okay, then I guess there was no point in your posting that it's pointless.

So, anyone heard any more on the analysis of that "sarin shell"-based IED found a couple of months ago? Wonder why not.

[kach22i]

There is a movie about this, perhaps you have seen it?

http://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/detailed.cgi?film=28552

[techweenie]

Lynn: "I was just trying to make the point, badly it appears, that trying to change opinions by shouting at each other and trying to think of more and more clever names to call each other is an exercise in futility. At least, that's all I've seen happen."

Okay, but please look at this thread. Mul has made -- I think --quite reasonable posts, and I have attempted to do the same. A respectful thread without shouting or name calling? It had to happen.

Now whether a mind can be changed is arguable, but we're playing nice here and I think that's to be applauded.

[island911]

Originally posted by techweenie
. .(something reasonable) . ..

[350HP930]

Wow, informants talking about decade old requests from rogue organizations looking to buy weapons.

Thats quite a far cry from 'saddam has wmd's and is planning on attacking america with them'.

Its also quite strange that this foriegn news story never made it to the 9/11 commision. Perahaps its just a golden nugget from our governments overseas propaganda operations. Don't forget that federal law prevents them from deliberately spreading false propaganda here so they disseminate this crap in foriegn countries for global consumption instead.

Thank you very much, please drive on through. :roll:

[techweenie]

Yo, 350: the 'transaction' happened last week. It was the weapons that were decades old.

As the article says, tests are still underway.

[djmcmath]

Originally posted by LynnsABCs
You might as well go home and watch the grass grow for all the good these discussions do.

I don't have grass because I live in an apartment. Can I watch glue dry instead? I have glue...


Dan

[Mulholland]

[Mulholland]

Oops, what I meant to say was..

Originally posted by LynnsABCs