Sunday, June 27, 2004

Mustard Gas Attack in Baghdad?

WorldNetDaily--a, well, less-than-reputable news source--reports (if that is an accurate description of what they do) that insurgents/terrorists launched an attack inside the Green Zone using mustard gas, although no information exists about casualties.

"I think it's safe to say our little friends know where the cache is now," said one source sardonically.

Odd that no one else is reporting the "attack." However, on June 24, FoxNews exclusively interviewed Charles Duelfer, current head of the Iraq Survey Group [Wikipedia]. I haven't been able to find a transcript of the interview, but a summary news piece can be found here. Apparently, Duelfer told FoxNews that about 10 or 12 mustard gas shells have been found, all from the pre-Gulf War era (although no one else claims they were used in an attack in the Green Zone).

Yesterday, Secretary Rumsfeld had this to say at a DOD briefing:

The so-called Iraqi Survey Group, which is a multi-national group, are pouring over documentation and interviewing former Iraqi scientists. The first head of that group, Mr. David Kay, concluded, as has his successor, Mr. Delfer [sic], that in fact Iraq had filed a fraudulent declaration to the United Nations. The process of uncovering chemical or biological or nuclear program materials is continuing and within the last week a number of weapons containing various types of chemicals have in fact been found and are currently being tested. The last piece that I saw suggested it was mustard gas. And although it's a first report, it appeared to be old and something that had not been declared as the declaration to the United Nations required. Time will tell what else might be found.

I find it puzzling that the mainstream press has not reported anything about these events. At the same time, a dozen old weapons that were made before the first Gulf War do not demonstrate anything--so I am not sure how much there is to report. But I imagine this will make the headlines this week, and I am interested to see how it gets covered.

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