'WMD' found in Iraq

2003-04-27 19:01

Baiji, Iraq - US troops found about a dozen 55-gallon drums in an open field near this northern Iraqi town, and initial tests showed traces of nerve gas and mustard gas, an American officer said on Sunday.

Lieutenant Colonol Ted Martin of the 10th Cavalry Regiment said troops went to the site at midnight on Friday after having been alerted by US Special Forces teams, which were suspicious because of the presence of surface-to-air missiles guarding the area.

A chemical team checked the drums, one of which tested positive for cyclosarin, a nerve agent, and a blister agent, which could have been mustard gas, Martin said.

"I am satisfied that it is sarin," Martin said, adding that further tests were being conducted.

Soldiers also found two mobile laboratories that contained equipment for mixing chemicals, but they appeared to have been ransacked by looters, Martin said.

Martin said another chemical team was being sent to the site for further testing. In the meantime, the drums have been covered with sand and are under guard, he added.

Since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, there have been several reports of possible chemical weapons finds, none of which are known to have panned out.

Initial tests by Army equipment are designed to favor a positive reading, erring on the side of caution to protect soldiers. Further, more sophisticated tests will be necessary to determine whether the find is evidence of an illegal weapons program.

US President George Bush ordered the attack on Iraq last month after Saddam refused to acknowledge that he was holding weapons of mass destruction. The Iraqis long insisted that they ended their weapons of mass destruction programs after the 1991 Gulf War.

So far, no conclusive evidence of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons have been reported by coalition forces.

"There are many sites that we look into every day, and when we have confirmed positive results we will provide that information," said Capt. Stewart Upton, a Central Command spokesman at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. "We just want to be very cautious that when we go with the information, that when we release nuclear, biological, or chemical information that we're accurate." (SAPA-AP)

- SAPA