Syrian bombs are now filled with chemicals — and could be up for grabs
The Bashir Assad regime in Syria is loading of some of its weapons with deadly nerve agents, and mixing together the chemical precursors needed to carry out a sarin-laced attack. But that may not be the biggest chemical threat Syria faces. There’s also an increasing chance that a terror group might get its hands on some of the planet’s most gruesome chemical arms.
Assad’s chemical corps have spent years buying up and experimenting with the chemicals needed to make the nerve agent sarin; not even an increasingly bloody civil war has kept the labs from running. Today, Syria-watchers in the U.S. government believe, these chemical engineers may be skilled enough in handling sarin that the nerve agent might remain deadly for up to a year. (“This is not a ‘move it or lose it’ situation,” one American official tells Danger Room.) And during that time, the sarin could be acquired by one of the Islamic extremists working in the loosely led rebel movement to topple the Assad regime. In other words: There’s the prospect of chemically armed terrorists emerging from the Syrian civil war.
“Uncertainties regarding this crisis are pervasive, yet at least one outcome is highly probable: terrorist acquisition of chemical weapons if the regime falls,” writes Federation of American Scientists analyst Charles Blair.
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You got to love Obama’s Arab Spring.
Has there ever been a bigger Fool in Chief?
Schadenfreude on December 8, 2012 at 12:38 PM
There are no WMDs in the ME.
davidk on December 8, 2012 at 12:39 PM
No reason for Assad not to use them. Don’t use them, the regime falls, he and his family are killed. Use them and what, he might make The Whine mad? Oh noes!
rbj on December 8, 2012 at 12:41 PM
Can he get them to the Palestinians, they would use them on Israel?
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 12:45 PM
On Special Report last night, the host asked where Assad would be in eight months, two out of the three guests said dead.
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 12:47 PM
If these Syrian kids are still alive, I’d like to get their thoughts on Obama’s “red lines”….
Obama, The Weak Ass
Resist We Much on December 8, 2012 at 12:51 PM
I remember when the Libyan thingy started. Everyone from the White House down to the Fox Panel said the Lypsynka of Libya would be dead in days…
Resist We Much on December 8, 2012 at 12:53 PM
More likely a few months at best. Sarin doesn’t have a long shelf life.
sharrukin on December 8, 2012 at 12:56 PM
will this spoil the inaugural?
rob verdi on December 8, 2012 at 12:56 PM
The Obama Administration keeps misreading the so called Arab Spring because his and those in his administrations most basic and fundamental beliefs make it impossible for them to understand the Islamic philosophical and ideological foundations.
Why the Obama Administration keeps misreading the Arab spring.
SWalker on December 8, 2012 at 12:57 PM
No need to worry. Barry has threatened Assad with a red line. Yes, I know,, it keeps moving around….but, still….that has to be worth something.:)
a capella on December 8, 2012 at 1:00 PM
Saw that. He’s got a year or two tops — if he goes into exile. No matter where he goes, at this point he will be hunted down.
The question is, will there be a rump Alwite statelet or not. Quite frankly, as long as Syria is consumed with a civil war, it can’t support Hezbollah, which is good for Israel. I’m fine with that. Once again, let it burn.
rbj on December 8, 2012 at 1:01 PM
Is this stuff kind of volatile to use as a bluff?
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 1:02 PM
So where is this info coming from? Earlier in the week the Pentagon said there was no evidence that Syria was mixing chemicals.
I read the Wired article and they only sited ‘American official’, blah, blah, blah.
So is the Obama administration going to be given a pass to get involved in a war that has the potential to get out of hand quick. And who are we backing, known terrorists groups. This CNN article from other ‘American Sources’, says we are about to declare part of the rebels a terrorist group.
What with the USS Eisenhower and the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready group we’ve now got 10,000 military personnel sitting off the Syrian coast. The Russians have 2 warships docked in Syria.
Nothing like getting ready to provide jobs for those defense contractors who are facing layoff’s due to sequestration.
Seems a lot of hype being built up to distract people.
RAN58 on December 8, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 1:03 PM
I suspect some of those government folks who are skilled in mixing, could be persuaded to mix more, after el Qaeda takes over. In fact, there might even be some el Qaeda sympathizers in the chemical/biological warfare ranks. I doubt the UN international courts scare them much.
a capella on December 8, 2012 at 1:04 PM
In case you haven’t notice, everything is hype and disaster for this administration. Don’t you ever wonder what would really happen if we went over the “financial cliff”. We live on a steady diet of b.s. in this country.
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 1:05 PM
Problem is the United States is backing the rebels while worrying that they will use Sarin gas against us in a terror attack. I am sure that makes sense to someone in Washington DC.
sharrukin on December 8, 2012 at 1:10 PM
Thanks, good one and true!
L
letget on December 8, 2012 at 1:15 PM
Confusion reigns. Our foreign policy consists of scoring touchdowns against ourselves. If I didn’t know they lock Biden away in a closet on workdays, I’d swear it has his trademark.
a capella on December 8, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Mexican border comes to mind.
If you plan on attending, don’t take the subway to get there. Don’t drink the water either.
petefrt on December 8, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Where are all the trolls acknowledging Obama’s ownership of this debacle?
Galt2009 on December 8, 2012 at 1:29 PM
It turns out, you can fool most of the people, all of the time.
petefrt on December 8, 2012 at 1:33 PM
These threads are the equivalant of bright sunshine shining into dark corners. I hope that answers your question.
a capella on December 8, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Didn’t you get the memo? This has nothing to do with Obama, because Morsi was democratically elected or something. Never mind that the same people were hailing Mubarak’s ouster as a triumph of Obama’s foreign policy.
sadarj on December 8, 2012 at 1:38 PM
Can you link it again, all that came up was a Hot Air headline banner and no text. No even an error message. SO WEIRD!!!
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Readily supplied by the Media – the BSM.
Galt2009 on December 8, 2012 at 1:45 PM
That’s the best disinfectant and the best at making the rats scurry away.
Galt2009 on December 8, 2012 at 1:47 PM
Once mixed its use it or lose it. You can’t unmix the chemicals and restore them for storage purposes. So yes Cindy M these chemicals are too volatile to bluff with. If they have actually mixed the chemicals to form Sarin then we can expect to see them used.
chemman on December 8, 2012 at 1:49 PM
Michael Ledeen at PJMedia has sources that claim hezblahblah is already in control of some of them. Both sides are comfortable with that because they know hezblahblah would only use them on the Jews.
slickwillie2001 on December 8, 2012 at 1:52 PM
How long before they are no good? I’m trying to figure out if he is going to use them on his own people or give them to someone who would use them on Israel. Not that one option is better than the other, just trying to figure out what his intentions are.
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 1:52 PM
Oh, delete expletive, extremely bad language!!!!
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 1:53 PM
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/12/08/Shocking-Graphic-Video-Syrian-Rebels-Testing-Chem-Weapons-On-Rabbits-As-Warning-To-Civilians
davidk on December 8, 2012 at 1:54 PM
It degrades at a rate of about 4% per month during refrigerated storage. Much faster in non refrigerated storage but I don’t have the data handy at this point. Evacuation zones once detected our 1000m immediately for large scale attacks and 2 – 4 km down wind depending upon day/night conditions. Loss of concentration due to decay reduces its efficacy so they probably have two to three months on the outside with it sitting mixed in ready to go weapons.
chemman on December 8, 2012 at 2:09 PM
That’s too long for comfort. I wonder if The Won bothered with his security briefing today, or will he read it later?
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 2:15 PM
Heh.
a capella on December 8, 2012 at 2:20 PM
If you are thinking that that is enough time to smuggle it to the States it would be easier to send a true believer CE along and mix fresh chemicals here. Still they could try something like that.
I am not confident that our President is even concerned about something like a nerve gas attack occurring here. It would just be another crisis to manipulate.
chemman on December 8, 2012 at 2:24 PM
He is on record as saying we could absorb another terrorist attack. Don’t forget, One death is a tragedy, a million are a statistic….or something.
a capella on December 8, 2012 at 2:31 PM
Another try:
It turns out, you can fool most of the people, all of the time.
petefrt on December 8, 2012 at 2:56 PM
Beware the Schwan’s truck.
davidk on December 8, 2012 at 3:58 PM
Actually I am more worried about Israel right now.
Cindy Munford on December 8, 2012 at 7:36 PM
IMHO, very soon Israel is going to get the acid test of whether it really is the time when God will protect them from destruction. Because Obama bin Lyin doesn’t want to help them and frankly we aren’t going to be ABLE to for much longer.
MelonCollie on December 8, 2012 at 11:57 PM