SIGHTINGS


 
Iraq VS Other Mideast NBC
Weapons - A Matter Of Perspective
The War Of Monica's Lips
By Eric Margolis
c/o Editorial Department, The Toronto Sun
From Wes Thomas
2-5-98
 
 
Note: There is no way to confirm or deny the accuracy of the NBC weapons statistics in the following article.
 
 
The United States is preparing to launch a new jihad against Great Satan Iraq. Possible attack date: the night before special investigator Ken Starr charges Clinton with perjury and influence peddling.
 
Prime targets: Saddam Hussein's underground bunker - and Monica Lewinsky. In 1737, Britain and Spain fought the War of Jenkin's Ear. Stand by for the War of Monica's Lips. President Clinton counts on a new crusade against Saddam to cancel out Zippergate. The Pentagon warns Iraq's alleged chemical/biological weapons (CB) will be eradicated by sustained air, and possibly commando, attacks.
 
If they exist, Iraq's modest, remaining stores of CB weapons are probably hidden in mountains, desert, or marshes - not in guest bedrooms of Saddam's palaces, the rather comical target of current American wrath. UN inspectors say Iraq has, at most, one Scud missile left. Iraq's rudimentary nuclear program - based on Israeli technology sold to Baghdad by South Africa - was dismantled. Large stores of chemical/bio weapons were destroyed. Iraq's ability to deliver CB weapons is now probably limited to Fedexing germs to its enemies, COD..
 
Even if Iraq were 100% disarmed - an impossibility - how would this effect the region's security?
 
*Syria: 200 Scud-B missiles with 985kg VX nerve gas warheads. Sixty longer-ranged Scud-C's with cluster warhead bomblets packed with deadly VX nerve agent. Targeted on Israeli cities, air and missile bases, as counter-force to Israel's nuclear arsenal. .
 
*Iran: CIA estimates stockpile of 2,000 tons of blistering, choking, blood and some nerve agents. In the 80's, Iran was victim of massive chemical warfare by Iraq, then a US-British ally. Iran lacks long-ranged delivery capability. Working on Sahab-3 missile system capable of reaching Israel with one ton warhead. Limited bio-war research
 
*Egypt: chemical agents delivered by air/short-ranged missiles. Small, top-secret biowarfare project begun in early 1960's in response to Israel's nuclear program, including plague and warheads packed with highly radioactive Strontium-90, and Cesium. .
 
*Turkey: some air/artillery delivered chemical agents. Mustard gas possibly used against rebellious Kurds .
 
*Libya - Limited chemical/biological warfare - including some work on highly-deadly anthrax by Iraqi technicians. No means to deliver CB weapons - which are more dangerous to bumbling Libyans than anyone else..
 
*Pakistan: 20 air-delivered nuclear weapons. Working on nuclear warheads for Al-Hatf missiles. Blistering, choking and V-series nerve agents: VX, VS.
 
*India: minimum 60 nuclear weapons. Can make 50 plutonium weapons yearly. Delivered by air, artillery, soon `Prithvi' missile and, later, `Agni' intermediate range ballistic missile. Chemical warfare arsenal of many thousand tons of mustard and nerve gas. Some advanced germ warfare research.
 
*Israel: Mideast's sole nuclear power. 200-400 nuclear air and missile-delivered warheads, reportedly including hydrogen and high-radiation neutron warheads. Some nuclear mines. Nuclear-armed Jericho's based at Kfar Zachariah. Nuclear bombs for F-15's/16's/F-4's based at Tel Nof. Mideast's largest producer of chemical weapons at Dimona, including nerve, blistering, choking agents. Also largest producer of biological weapons, reportedly anthrax, plague, Q fever, Tularemia. Can deliver by air or missile.
 
Iraq, says the UN, produced 150 VX nerve gas bombs and 50 short-ranged Frog missile warheads filled with biological agents. Iraq also produced small amounts of nerve agent, Sarin, and gas-gangrene causing clostridium. Sizeable quantities of biowar agents botulism and anthrax. And test batches of Saddam's secret weapon: camel pox!
 
The West supplied all Iraq's CB raw materials and manufacturing processes. Germ warfare breeder stocks came from Britain and the US - for use against Iran. Almost all have since been destroyed.
 
Iraq didn't use germs or chemicals against Israel in the 1991 war. Israel vowed to retaliate with nuclear weapons if an CB attack occured. So did the US.
 
Chemical and biological weapons are now permanently implanted from North Africa to India. Bombing Iraq again won't put this deadly genii back into its bottle.


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