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Chlorine bombs target Iraq
Three trucks carrying toxic gas have exploded in western Iraq, killing at least two police officers and leaving 350 civilians needing treatment, the US military has said.
The three attacks were carried out over the course of three hours on Friday afternoon, two of them south of the town of Fallujah and one northeast of the city of Ramadi.
"Approximately 350 Iraqi civilians and six coalition force members were treated for chlorine gas exposure," said Lieutenant Roger Hollenbeck of the US-led Multinational Division West, based in Ramadi.
The area where the bombings occurred is a favoured base for fighters linked to al-Qaeda.
In each attack, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives and gas canisters near police and civilian targets in crowded areas.
Contradictory toll
At least six people were killed in the blasts according to Iraqi state broadcaster, but the US military has so far only confirmed the deaths of two Iraqi policemen in the second explosion, which occurred in Ameriyah, outside Fallujah.
"Coalition forces confirmed that the Ameriyah citizens exposed to the chlorine were treated locally for symptoms ranging from minor skin and lung irritation to vomiting," Hollenbeck said in a statement.
More
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9DDB5758-2725-4E24-AC4C-32CD8EC80046.htm
"Approximately 350 Iraqi civilians and six coalition force members were treated for chlorine gas exposure," said Lieutenant Roger Hollenbeck of the US-led Multinational Division West, based in Ramadi.
The area where the bombings occurred is a favoured base for fighters linked to al-Qaeda.
In each attack, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives and gas canisters near police and civilian targets in crowded areas.
Contradictory toll
At least six people were killed in the blasts according to Iraqi state broadcaster, but the US military has so far only confirmed the deaths of two Iraqi policemen in the second explosion, which occurred in Ameriyah, outside Fallujah.
"Coalition forces confirmed that the Ameriyah citizens exposed to the chlorine were treated locally for symptoms ranging from minor skin and lung irritation to vomiting," Hollenbeck said in a statement.
More
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9DDB5758-2725-4E24-AC4C-32CD8EC80046.htm
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Two of the attacks were near the city of Falluja, the third near Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Both areas are hotbeds of al-Qaeda militants.
Chlorine gas can cause severe burns to the throat and lungs and can kill after only a few breaths.
There were at least three such attacks in Iraq in February.
'Vomiting'
The heaviest casualties were in a suicide attack on Friday evening at the entrance to a housing estate south of Falluja in which six people were reported to have been killed. The injured included at least 27 children.
More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6461757.stm
Hospital sources said earlier eight people were killed and dozens were became ill after chlorine gas was released in the two bombings in Falluja, in the western province of Anbar.
The attacks appeared to mark a stepped-up campaign by insurgents to use unconventional weapons, after two bombings involving chlorine killed eight people earlier this year.
The U.S. military said they discovered an al Qaeda car bomb factory last month near Falluja that was constructing bombs with chlorine. The gas causes severe burns when breathed in and can cause death.
Friday's two bombs in Falluja occurred within the space of 40 minutes i
More
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070317/ts_nm/iraq_falluja_dc_3