It is capable of restoring the picture and sound of a scrambled channel….

2nd Clorine truck used as a WMD.

claims this is little more than psy ops: the gas isn’t any more lethal, really, than your average car bomb

So many comments I can’t narrow it down.

- The Cat

I’m sure the canisters are/will be studied to determine their origin.

I hope they do and I hope the press follows up on this.

The origin is most likely a legitimate industrial gas manufacturer. They need to find out who diverted it from the normal trade channel, which will probably never happen.

Ahh! To be young and still have dreams.

LOL You’re never too young to hope.

I hope they do and I hope the press follows up on this.

RedinBlueCounty on February 21, 2007 at 3:20 PM

Ahh! To be young and still have dreams.

I’m sure the canisters are/will be studied to determine their origin.

I hope they do and I hope the press follows up on this.

Tough to say chlorine is a chemical attack in the wmd discussion. If that were true, gun powder, gasoline, could be considered such. Chemicals and all.

Chlorine is considered a chemical weapon as it does not require the assistance of explosives to make it deadly. Just releasing the gas into an environment can cause casualties. Chlorine gas, by it’s very nature, is deadly. It is the chemical properties of the gas itself that causes causalities and this makes it a chemical weapon

Gunpower, gasoline, and other explosive compounds are not considered a chemical weapon at they explosive in nature and require a detonation to become effective. Gunpower, for example, requires containment and a heat source (a detonator) to release the deadly effects of it’s chemical properties and cause casualties. The chemical properties of gunpowder, by itself, does not cause casualties; it is the production of a shock wave the compound releases when detonated that causes casualties.

This is a rather simplified explanation, but I hope it helps.

That doesn’t answer the question of where the terrorists obtained the gas. This is not something you can find at the local hardware store, or what ever the Iraqi equivalent would be.

It could come from a lot of places. Iraq does have water treatment plants, and chlorine production plants. Or it could have been imported. Iraq imported Chlorine before the war. I’m sure the canisters are/will be studied to determine their origin.

Clorine is a common industrial chemical and is a gas at room temperature, but is often stored in a liquid state in canisters. It’s most widespread use is in water purification.

That doesn’t answer the question of where the terrorists obtained the gas. This is not something you can find at the local hardware store, or what ever the Iraqi equivalent would be.

President Bushes surge failed to stop a new escalation in the war on terror. As desperate dedicated resistance fighters began to use chlorine to clean the streets of apostates and infidels. Source Al Qaida news feed

Tough to say chlorine is a chemical attack in the wmd discussion. If that were true, gun powder, gasoline, could be considered such. Chemicals and all.

There’s nothing to point these events to any pre-existing Iraqi WMD program. These look to be standard cylinders of liquid chlorine that are then detonated with explosives. Pretty crude since explosives are not ideal for dispersal and chlorine gas dissipates quickly unless a LOT of it is used.

It worked somewhat effectively in WWI because chlorine gas sinks (it’s heavier than air), and so caught many troops in trenches where they could not escape (leaving the trench opened them up to machine gun / artillery fire). In a city environment it’s much less effective because it’s possible to get away from the gas once you smell it and the further you go, the less lethal it is. Plus, it’s only likely to effect people at street level.

So I would not expect these attacks to kill many people at all. They are really a psychological weapon and will probably have more of an impact in that regard than in producing direct casualties.

Is it fairly common in manufacturing, that they could steal it?

It’s a pretty common industrial material, used primarily as a chemical intermediate in the production of bleach and certain industrial solvents.

Rather than crush the Al Mahdi, the U.S. wound up bolstering Sadr’s street credibility and undermining the popularity of then-Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who was pro-American.

Was it because the U.S. wasn’t allowed to fight? (You can’t fire on a Mosque!) (Another soldier died today…) (Did you see that, they actually shot someone)(Another soldier died today…) (Free the detainees!) (Another soldier died today…) (We need to bring in the courts, and lawyers)(Another soldier died today…) (Close Gitmo!) (Another soldier died today…) Mr. Murtha? Mz. Clinton? Mr. Kennedy? MSM? Anyone???