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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIraq Says 'Terrorists' Seize Chemical Weapons Site
UNITED NATIONS (AP) The Islamic State extremist group has taken control of a vast former chemical weapons facility northwest of Baghdad, where remnants of 2,500 degraded chemical rockets filled decades ago with the deadly nerve agent sarin are stored along with other chemical warfare agents, Iraq said in a letter circulated Tuesday at the United Nations.
The U.S. government played down the threat from the takeover, saying there are no intact chemical weapons and it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to use the material for military purposes.
Iraqs U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a letter that armed terrorist groups entered the Muthanna site on June 11, detained officers and soldiers from the protection force guarding the facilities and seized their weapons. The following morning, the project manager spotted the looting of some equipment via the camera surveillance system before the terrorists disabled it, he said.
The Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria, sent its fighters into neighboring Iraq last month and quickly captured a vast stretch of territory straddling the border between the two countries. Last week, its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the land the extremists control.
Alhakim said as a result of the takeover of Muthanna, Iraq is unable to fulfil its obligations to destroy chemical weapons because of the deteriorating security situation. He said it would resume its obligations as soon as the security situation has improved and control of the facility has been regained.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/united-nations/2014/07/08/iraq-says-terrorists-seize-chemical-weapons-site/dL6fACTU88PHBLp4FK6c9I/story.html
whatchamacallit
(15,558 posts)Renew Deal
(81,871 posts)Wait. What?
Did the US know about this site when they controlled the country? Why wasn't it cleaned back in 2004-2008?
morningfog
(18,115 posts)out of hand.