U.S. Says It Found Chemicals at Iraqi Bomb Factory
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
BAGHDAD, Feb. 22 — American troops on a raid near Falluja discovered three car bombs under construction in a bomb-making factory that appeared intended to be used with chemicals, the chief American military spokesman in Baghdad said Thursday.
Five of the buildings raided by American forces were packed with munitions and chemicals, he said.
The discovery follows three gas attacks in the past month in which insurgents used truck bombs to deploy chlorine, a greenish gas that burns the skin and can be fatal after just a few deep breaths. The latest such bombing on Wednesday in southern Baghdad killed at least two people and wounded 32 others, many exhibiting symptoms of chlorine exposure.
The spokesman, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, described the materials found in the raid as 65 propane tanks and ordinary chemicals, but he did not say any chlorine gas was found. He said the troops found “five complete buildings full of these various types of things to include car bombs that were being assembled and put together with propane tanks.
The insurgents’ recent use of chlorine gas in bombings appeared to be a new attempt to heighten fears among Iraqi citizens, he said on CNN.
“What we are seeing is a change in tactics, but the strategy has not changed,” General Caldwell said, adding that the recent bombings were a “crude attempt to raise the terror level by taking and mixing ordinary chemicals with explosive devices and instilling that fear within the Iraqi people.”
Just west of Falluja in Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, American forces fought a fierce battle with insurgents early Thursday morning that officials at the Ramadi hospital said left at least 27 Iraqis dead. Dr. Abdullah Salah said four women and four children were among the dead. Eyewitnesses said at least three homes were attacked by American aircraft.
The Associated Press reported that photographs that were made available to it showed “the bodies of two small boys wrapped in one blanket, one with a bloody face, the other ashen and with mud on his mouth, his hands crossed on his chest.” Other pictures showed four or five bodies covered by blankets, and men sifting through rubble that appeared to be the wreckage of one destroyed home.
The United States Marine Corps, which patrols western Iraq, disputed the account of Ramadi hospital workers. The Marines said U.S. soldiers, including troops in tanks, took fire from insurgents and returned fire. Any building that was attacked by United States forces had been used as shelter by insurgents who were firing on the troops during the skirmish, they said. At least 12 people were killed, all of them insurgents, they added.
Resilient little f$ckers, those insurgents. Chlorine gas - nice touch you bastards. Not good. Not good at all.
In other news, Anna Nicole is still dead. And the British pulling out of Iraq is a tell-tale sign of VICTORY!!! in Iraq. Now back to sports, Frank.
___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...
Feb-23-2007 00:21
shaolin_Z
Hei Hu Quan
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, Texas, USA: TXTA #102
LOL
___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."-Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller
Feb-23-2007 00:27
pkcRAISTLIN
arbiter's chief minion
Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
im not sure a topic on new and interesting ways of murdering US troops & iraqi civilians deserves such levity.
___________________
Feb-23-2007 00:31
shaolin_Z
Hei Hu Quan
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, Texas, USA: TXTA #102
I wonder if they're going to find a can of coke and claim it's a WMD haha
___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."-Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller
Feb-23-2007 01:12
Q5echo
asymetrical scepticism
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Dallas
i drank breast milk once.
Feb-23-2007 01:50
shaolin_Z
Hei Hu Quan
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, Texas, USA: TXTA #102
quote:
Originally posted by Q5echo
i drank breast milk once.
Dude, you know they don't allow that on planes anymore. What is wrong with you? You might explode or something
___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."-Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller
Feb-23-2007 02:14
Fir3start3r
Armin Acolyte
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Yea, I read that too and wondered what the point of bringing it up was?
I'm sure they've found stuff like that before so why make a point of it now?
Are they giving credence to the fact that there's still extremists out there (yea thanks for the tip sparky) or god forbid still trying to find a WMD link (like that horse hasn't been flogged to glue right about now).
Either way....nothing to see here....move along...
___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."
Feb-23-2007 02:21
shaolin_Z
Hei Hu Quan
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, Texas, USA: TXTA #102
quote:
Originally posted by Fir3start3r
Either way....nothing to see here....move along...
Did you miss the breasts Q mentioned? Shame on you Fir3start3r .
___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."-Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller
Feb-23-2007 02:24
Fir3start3r
Armin Acolyte
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
quote:
Originally posted by shaolin_Z
Did you miss the breasts Q mentioned? Shame on you Fir3start3r .
Dood, my wife just started breast-feeding, I'm in heaven right now
___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."
Feb-23-2007 02:30
MisterOpus1
Grumpy Old Fart
Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Kansas City
quote:
Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
im not sure a topic on new and interesting ways of murdering US troops & iraqi civilians deserves such levity.
It was neither my focus nor my intent to demonstrate as such, which I believe clearly contrasts my posts from those in question from the past. Rather, I was showing the irony and silliness of our news media posting such a headline and story, especially in regards to what has occurred with the entire WMD fiasco in the past.
Jesus Christ, did I really have to explain that at all? Surely you're joking, right? Right?
___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...
Feb-23-2007 04:21
MisterOpus1
Grumpy Old Fart
Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Kansas City
quote:
Originally posted by Fir3start3r
Dood, my wife just started breast-feeding, I'm in heaven right now
I'm really not sure what to think about that, not that I want to think about your wife's lactating breasts. I don't even know her. It's just I'm a little perplexed about the "sexiness" of breasts filled with milk. We're not working on kids yet, so I'm really talking out of experience here.
Ya know, I think I'll shut up now and move along. Just ignore that previous paragraph.
___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...
Feb-23-2007 04:24
Lilith
Meowsies!
Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Maximum Security twilight home for cats
It's not so much the milk, its a case of turning B-Cups into something a boat family could use as floatation devices between islands, is what they're all excited about. Least that's how my sister ended up, not sure if it's worth the fun of baby poo smells, screaming and projectile vomiting and the realisation that after a year or so it'll be back to normal... just with the added screaming, smells and lack of sleep.
Anyhow...
Yes I was watching the news about these things going off in combination with the conventional explosives, they're not so much 'killing' people with the gas but it's making it hard for medical teams to help soon after and generally making a lot of people sick as a side effect.
.
