According to new reports from the New York Times, between 2003 and 2011 U.S. troops were exposed to Chemical weapons in Iraq regularly, and on 6 occasions were injured by them.
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All in all 5,000 chemical warheads were found in Iraq dating back to the Saddam Hussein regime. Many of these warheads were made in close conjunction with western nations.
In on example in 2007 a soldier suffered mustard gas burns and was denied treatment. He told the New York Times “I felt more like a guinea pig than a wounded soldier.”
Today, Rear Adm. John Kirby, spokesperson for the Pentagon said that he didn’t have good enough details on what occurred years ago on an individual basis.
So why the secrecy? Some theorize that its because the weapons were produced and assembled by the U.S. and western allies. Others say that it’s because they were made before 1991 and unstable.
Either way, one thing is clear: Chemical weapons were found in Iraq and U.S. troops paid a price for it.
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From CNN:
The U.S. government suppressed information about chemical weapons it found in Iraq, and several servicemembers were injured by their exposure to those weapons, The New York Times is reporting.
In an article published late Tuesday, the newspaper says it found 17 American servicemembers and seven Iraqi police officers who were exposed to mustard or nerve agents after 2003. They were reportedly given inadequate care and told not to talk about what happened.
“From 2004 to 2011, American and American-trained Iraqi troops repeatedly encountered, and on at least six occasions were wounded by, chemical weapons remaining from years earlier in Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Why do you think this was kept so secretive? Sound off in the comments below!
