Sarin Gas in Iraq?

Sarin Gas Released by Iraq Roadside Bomb

I will wait for further confirmation of this story, as it has been reported that WMD has been found before, only to turn out to be not such.

Still, if accurate, this is an important development

A roadside bomb containing sarin nerve agent exploded near a U.S. military convoy, the U.S. military said Monday. Two people were treated for "minor exposure," but no serious injuries were reported.

"The Iraqi Survey Group confirmed today that a 155-millimeter artillery round containing sarin nerve agent had been found," said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt (search), the chief military spokesman in Iraq. "The round had been rigged as an IED (improvised explosive device) which was discovered by a U.S. force convoy.

"A detonation occurred before the IED could be rendered inoperable. This produced a very small dispersal of agent," he said.

The incident occurred "a couple of days ago," he said.

The Iraqi Survey Group (search) is a U.S. organization whose task was to search for weapons of mass destruction after the ouster of Saddam Hussein in last year's invasion.

Also: if true and if insurgents have access to these weapons, even in small amounts, this increases the danger to our troops and to innocent Iraqis.

This clearly qualifies as "developing."

UPDATE: Citizen Smash has an excellent discussion of the story and a news/Blogospheric round-up.

Posted by Steven Taylor at May 17, 2024 10:16 AM | TrackBack