ISIS captures former Iraqi WMD site
Jul. 8th, 2014 08:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maxomaiThe bad news around the Twitterverse right now is that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has captured a former Iraqi chemical weapons site (Edit: Iraq has confirmed this), possibly loaded with useless artillery shells that used to contain mustard gas.
Of course, we know Iraq once had WMDs, and that the Hussein regime used them during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and on the Kurdish population. We also know that the UN inspectors determined that those weapons were useless in 2003 before the US invaded. Today's reports are consistent with these data -- apparently this is more like a toxic waste dump than an arsenal. The real question is whether anything on that site can be turned into a practical weapon.
Stay tuned, kids.
Of course, we know Iraq once had WMDs, and that the Hussein regime used them during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and on the Kurdish population. We also know that the UN inspectors determined that those weapons were useless in 2003 before the US invaded. Today's reports are consistent with these data -- apparently this is more like a toxic waste dump than an arsenal. The real question is whether anything on that site can be turned into a practical weapon.
Stay tuned, kids.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Probably more dangerous for them to make than deploy
Date: 2014-07-09 11:05 pm (UTC)