Reality Cafe has it that the Americans used psuedo Chemical weapons in Fallujah.
Is this just another way to win the hearts and minds of people? Not sure if the American public would ever get to know of this by the mainstream media.
Wonder Why then people get so surprised that the insurgency hasn’t died down yet? The Jihadis are being helped by their enemies (or I should say media savvy recruiting partners) time and again, will then anyone be surprised if they have another star Jihadi after al-Zarqawi is gone?
There can be an argument that the Jihadis will not think twice before using even Nuclear Weapons on Americans. But then, that is the difference. That is the reason why ‘the willing’ claim to have gone into Iraq in the first place, the third place rather (after supposed presence of WMDs ,and saving the region from Saddam).
Did the White House think that they can get results sooner in Iraq if they push the armed forces to go to this length? Is this another in series of the worthless handling of Iraq right from start? I’m sure if the White House just went to sleep for a long while, the armed forces would take care of the things there by themselves. I’m sure my neighbourhood’s 10-year olds’ gang will give a better leadership.
How many times have I stopped myself from saying that an intelligent enemy is better than a foolish friend, but well…I can’t think of a reason why the Americans chose the foolish friend who wouldn’t let go of an intelligent enemy. That is not to say that Iraqis (and for that matter, the World) be left to their fate at this juncture, but it is certainly hoped that the World and the Americans find a sound person\people to bring it to a closure. Surely there has to be someone capable who will look at all the things before committing to a cause and not be blinded by stupid buddies or lack of personal cerebral capabilities.
Updated: The US declassified documents themselves classify WP as a chemical weapon.
WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED
INTELLIGENCE. REPORT CLASSIFIED———————————————————————
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
———————————————————————DOI: (U) 910300.
REQS: (U) T-8C2-2650-01-90.
SOURCE: [ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ][ (b)(7)(D) ]
SUMMARY: IRAQ HAS POSSIBLY EMPLOYED PHOSPHOROUS
CHEMICAL
WEAPONS AGAINST THE KURDISH POPULATION IN AREAS ALONG THE
IRAQI-TURKISH-IRANIAN BORDERS. KURDISH RESISTANCE IS LOSING ITS
STRUGGLE AGAINST SADDAM HUSSEIN’S FORCES. KURDISH REBELS AND
REFUGEES’ PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS ARE PROVIDED.TEXT: 1. DURING APRIL 1991, THE SOURCE TELEPHONED
BROTHER (SUBSOURCE) [ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ][ (b)(7)(D) ]. DURING THIS PHONE CONVERSATION,
THE SOURCE WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE
PRESENT SITUATION IN KURDISH AREAS ALONG THE IRAQI-TURKISH-IRANIAN
BORDERS —
A. IRAQ’S POSSIBLE EMPLOYMENT OF PHOSPHOROUS CHEMICAL
WEAPONS — IN LATE FEBRUARY 1991, FOLLOWING THE COALITION FORCES’
OVERWHELMING VICTORY OVER IRAQ, KURDISH REBELS STEPPED UP THEIR
STRUGGLE AGAINST IRAQI FORCES IN NORTHERN IRAQ. DURING THE BRUTAL
CRACKDOWN THAT FOLLOWED THE KURDISH UPRISING, IRAQI FORCES LOYAL
TO
PRESIDENT SADDAM ((HUSSEIN)) MAY HAVE POSSIBLY USED WHITE
PHOSPHOROUS (WP) CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST KURDISH REBELS AND THE
POPULACE IN ERBIL (GEOCOORD:3412N/04401E) (VICINITY OF IRANIAN
BORDER) AND DOHUK (GEOCOORD:3652N/04301E) (VICINITY OF IRAQI
BORDER) PROVINCES, IRAQ. THE WP CHEMICAL WAS DELIVERED BY
ARTILLERY ROUNDS AND HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS (NO FURTHER INFORMATION
AT
THIS TIME). APPARENTLY, THIS TIME IRAQ DID NOT USE NERVE GAS AS
THEY DID IN 1988, IN HALABJA (GEOCOORD:3511N/04559E), IRAQ,
BECAUSE
THEY WERE AFRAID OF POSSIBLE RETALIATION FROM THE UNITED STATES
(U.S.) LED COALITION. THESE REPORTS OF POSSIBLE WP CHEMICAL WEAPON
ATTACKS SPREAD QUICKLY AMONG THE KURDISH POPULACE IN ERBIL AND
DOHUK. AS A RESULT, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF KURDS FLED FROM THESE
TWO AREAS AND CROSSED THE IRAQI BORDER INTO TURKEY.
I’m sure Saddam would not have declassified some of his documents himself, and that really is the difference. Why do we keep forgetting the blurred line?



Sachin,
Not to spoil you righteous indignation, but white phospohrous are not exactly chemical weapon. it is debunked
here ,
here
here
here
here
here
here
here
and
American MSM if anything is virulently anti-Bush.
This is just in a long list of Anti- Bush Memes like “Bush lied, Kids died”
Comment by Gaurav — Sat 19 November, 2005 @ 2:29 pm
“White phosphorus is a poison which can be absorbed through skin contact, ingestion, or breathing. If its combustion occurs in a confined space, white phosphorus will remove the oxygen from the air and render the air unfit to support life.” and more
“…a snowstorm of small, white particles that floated down upon us. We looked in amazement, and eyes filled with instant terror. Where the particles landed on shirts and trousers they sizzled and burned. White phosphorus! We brushed our clothing frantically, pushed shirt collars up. If any of the stuff touched the skin, it could inflict a horrible burn, increasing in intensity as it burrowed into a man’s flesh…
this is here
White phosphorus is very poisonous, a lethal dose being about 0.15 grams. It causes necrosis of the bones, especially those of the jaw.
The older practice of using white phosphorus for matches has been abandoned because of the extremely poisonous nature of white phosphorus.
here too
All this when the area had civilian populations. I’m not much of a fan of the Jihadis myself, but I guess even they deserve a quick death, especially as ‘we’ like to think that there is atleast an iota of a difference between ‘us’ and ‘them’ .
I don’t want to get into how you describe it (that’s why the term psuedo is used in my post), but what it really does to a person. This is not hate-Bush or hate-Democrats post, its a pure and simple hate-stupidity post.
And I guess there was a good reason why the operations were described as “Shake ‘n Bake”
Comment by Sachin — Sat 19 November, 2005 @ 4:28 pm
Sachin,
Phosphorus is NASTY but not a chemical weapon like Sarin or Mustard
Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus
and this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_weapon
If you are talking about horrible pictures of video then mopst probably they are not due to White Phosphorus, as the clothes on corpses are INTACT.
Death by white phosphorus (if it all there is )is no more horrible than your guts hanging out due to shrapnels or getting maimed by daisy cutters.
War is a NASTY business and I would rather have insurgents die in agony rather than soldiers
Regards
Comment by Gaurav — Sat 19 November, 2005 @ 5:32 pm