American Troops on PatrolU.S. troops find chemicals in Iraq raid

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops raided a car bomb factory west of Baghdad with five buildings full of propane tanks and ordinary chemicals the military believes were to be used in bombs, a spokesman said Thursday, a day after insurgents blew up a truck carrying chlorine gas canisters.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said the chlorine attack Wednesday — the second such “dirty” chemical attack in two days — signaled a change in insurgent tactics, and the military was fighting back with targeted raids.

“What we are seeing is a change in the tactics, but their strategy has not changed. And that’s to create high-profile attacks to instill fear and division amongst the Iraqi people,” he told CNN. “It’s a real crude attempt to raise the terror level by taking and mixing ordinary chemicals with explosive devices, trying to instill that fear within the Iraqi people.”

But he suggested the strategy was backfiring by turning public opinion against the insurgents, saying the number of tips provided by Iraqis had doubled in the last six months.

One of those tips led U.S. troops to a five separate buildings near Fallujah, where they found the munitions containing chemicals, three vehicle bombs being assembled, including a truck bomb, about 65 propane tanks and “all kinds of ordinary chemicals,” Caldwell said. He added that he believed the insurgents were going to try to mix the chemicals with explosives.

The pickup truck carrying chlorine gas cylinders was blown up Wednesday, killing at least five people and sending more than 55 to hospitals gasping for breath and rubbing stinging eyes.

On Tuesday, a bomb planted on a chlorine tanker left more than 150 villagers stricken north of the capital. More than 60 were still under medical care on Wednesday. Chlorine causes respiratory trouble and skin irritation in low levels and possible death with heavy exposure.

Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman, said the investigation into the attack was still under way.

“But what is obvious to us that the terrorists are adopting new tactics to cause panic and as many casualties as they can among civilians. But our plans also are always changeable and flexible to face the enemy’s new tactics.”

Our Troops are fighting a dangerous and adaptive enemy. I’ve read a lot lately from the left, especially in relation to the recent democrat non-resolution disapproving of the battle in Iraq. It seems a general underlying theme of what I have read is that the United States is a big bully picking on a poor ol’ third world country that can’t defend itself.

That take on the war is dumbfounding to me. It shows a complete lack of understanding of the enemy our Soldiers are facing - that WE are facing. This enemy is smart, well armed, well funded and extremely adept at using our own strategies against us.

And now our Soldiers are facing chemical weapons. Where exactly does the left think THOSE came from?

A commenter on a previous post here asked ‘where is the outrage’ at the treatment of our Troops by this administration. This commenter’s assumptions about how the military has been treated is inaccurate. If anything they have too much equipment. But there is outrage, at least by me.

My outrage is that we have not fought hard enough and the longer we wait to really fight the more time our enemy has to develop deadlier weapons. The more we try to avoid the conflict that is staring us straight in the face, the worse the conflict will be. We are only leaving it for a later date and for there to be more bloodshed necessary to resolve this clash of civilizations.

My outrage is that our politicians try to buy political points by weighting our Troops down with more and more pounds of gear that they can barely move and can barely get into their vehicles. They are also weighing them down with rules of engagement so strict they are barely able to defend themselves.

My outrage is that Iranian operatives are moving into the neighborhoods around Baghdad and setting up shop next to and inside of Mosques because they know Americans are not allowed to shoot at Mosques. My outrage is that everyone wants to look good at the expense of our Soldiers - and I mean EVERYONE.

My outrage is that there is a very small percentage of Americans willing to take up arms, under these impossible circumstances, to defend this country while the rest of the country pretends it’s nothing more than an exercise in intellectual, political debate.

I’m outraged, but not for the inaccurate reasons that commenter outlines.

h/t Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard

photo credit:

U.S. soldiers wait before an early patrol southeast of Baghdad February 22, 2007. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (IRAQ)

More at Consul-at-Arms.