-Caveat Lector- http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010328/ts/arms_gulfwar_dc_1.html Wednesday March 28 12:13 AM ET Some U.S. Forces May Have Been Exposed to Nerve Gas By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A small advance group of U.S. special forces may have been exposed to nerve gas when a U.S.-led coalition bombed an Iraqi weapons site during the Gulf War (news - web sites), the Defense Department said in a report on Tuesday. It was still uncertain whether the soldiers were exposed to the nerve agents, the Pentagon (news - web sites) said, but it was now notifying those troops of the possibility. The Pentagon released its report after an investigation on whether the strike on the weapons site at Muhammadiyat, Iraq, exposed large numbers of U.S. troops to nerve gas and other chemical warfare agents. Bombs filled with mustard agents and the nerve agents sarin and cyclosarin were found at the bombing site after the 1991 war. But the Pentagon report said that ``with the possible exception of a few forward-deployed special operations forces in Iraq -- U.S. forces were definitely not exposed to chemical warfare agents as a result of the bombing.'' ``For the few special operations personnel in Iraq, exposure is characterized as indeterminate from the facts available,'' it added. A Pentagon spokesman could not say how many troops might have been affected. The Pentagon also did not address how many Iraqi citizens might have been exposed to chemical warfare agents as a result of the bombing. The weapons site was about 95 miles (153 km) west of Baghdad. Military planners targeted Muhammadiyat because it was an ammunition storage site and suspected Scud missile depot, the Pentagon said. It was unclear whether they knew chemical weapons were also stored there. Bombs With Mustard, Nerve Gas Found At Site After the war ended, U.N. weapons inspectors found damaged and destroyed mustard-filled bombs as well as damaged bombs containing sarin or cyclosarin at the site. Using U.N. reports, declarations by Iraq and other sources, Pentagon investigators determined it was likely that the bombing released 180 kg (397 pounds) of a mixture of sarin and cyclosarin, the Pentagon said in its report. Additionally, computer modeling showed that an estimated 2,969 kg (6,545 pounds) of mustard blister agent was released. The Pentagon said its investigators had concluded that any of 17 airstrikes could have released the nerve and mustard gas agent between Jan. 19 and Feb. 24, 1991. At those times, the closest U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia were 35 miles (57 km) from the nerve agent hazard area. The closest U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia were 125 miles (201 km) from the possible mustard hazard area. ``Therefore, we believe that U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia definitely were not exposed to chemical warfare agents released from the bombing of Muhammadiyat,'' the Pentagon said. ``Nevertheless, it is possible a few U.S. Special Operations Forces personnel were exposed to a low level of nerve agent because of operations in Iraq on Feb. 17, 19, or 24, 1991,'' it added. It was uncertain if those soldiers had been exposed because Pentagon investigators did not know their precise location at the time of the bombing raids. The Pentagon said no U.S. special operations forces personnel were present on the possible days of mustard agent release. No Risk To Troops From Al Muthanna Bombing In a separate report, the Pentagon said U.S. troops ''definitely were not exposed'' to chemical warfare agents during a Feb. 8 bombing of another weapons site, at Al Muthanna, Iraq. Intelligence sources later estimated that most of a possible 9 tons of sarin at the site was destroyed by the fire that ensued. An estimated 10 kg (23 pounds) escaped into the atmosphere. The Pentagon said computer modeling of the hazard area created by the escaped sarin indicated a maximum downwind hazard extending no farther than 32 miles (50 km) southeast of Al Muthanna. U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia were no closer than 256 miles (412 km) from Al Muthanna and no U.S. special forces were in the area. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. 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