The threat of an Iraqi chemical or biological attack against
coalition forces has become "negligible," US military sources in
Iraq told AFP on Thursday.
"Now that we have penetrated Baghdad's outer ring, the likelihood (of a chemical or biological attack) is negligible," said Captain Adam Mastrianni, the intelligence officer of the 101st Airborne Division's Aviation Brigade.
"The commanding general of the 101st, General David Petraeus, gave the order at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT) that soldiers in the division would be able to take off their anti-chemical and biological suits as of Friday morning," he added.
Mastrianni's aviation brigade is still based near the central Iraqi town of Najaf. He explained to the AFP correspondent travelling with US troops that the non-conventional threat against coalition troops engaged in Iraq had receded across the board.
US military planners had feared that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein might launch a chemical attack when US and British troops reached three zones.
"We thought if he was going to use chemicals, the first major town he was going to use them in was in Karbala," a major Shiite town less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad, Mastrianni said.
"The next major zone, was when we (coalition troops) penetrated outer Baghdad," he said, saying that could be defined as areas within 30 kilometres (20 miles) of the capital.
"Now the 3ID (3rd Infantry Division) is in Baghdad and no chemicals have been used," he added.
"We think that quite frankly, even if Saddam Hussein is in control, which is still debatable, he's paralysed by the fact he knows he will be prosecuted over warcrimes," he said.
"If he somehow survives this, and if he doesn't use them, then he looks kind of like the victim to the Arab world," he added.
Mastrianni added that a third reason was that US troops "did not find too many chemical areas." On Wednesday, as US troops got closer to Baghdad, they were ordered to move up to the next level of precaution against chemical or biological weapon attacks by donning rubber boots along with the protective clothing they have worn almost every day since the US-British invasion began on March 21.
It was the equivalent of asking soldiers to fight under a hot sun in heavy raincoats and thick rubber boots.
Each soldier also has a gas mask slung around his waist, and has been trained to put it on within nine seconds of the alarm being raised.
At the time, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters at the Central Command forward headquarters in Doha that "there may be a trigger line where the regime sees a sufficient threat to use weapons of mass destruction.
Last week, Brooks warned that intelligence officers had received "indications through a variety of sources" that the Iraqi regime had issued "first orders" to use chemical or biological weapons if the coalition forces crossed the line.
US and British forces have discovered large supplies of chemical protective suits and gas masks in captured Iraqi military stores.
Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf last week dismissed US suggestions that the discovery of protective clothing in captured Iraqi barracks meant that Iraq possessed such arms.
"In war, the combatant expects the enemy to use anything at all," he said, adding that Iraq did not rule out the coalition resorting to "stupidities" due to "demoralisation caused by their defeat." Asked about the discovery by US troops of protective suits and antidotes to chemical weapons in Iraq, Blix replied: "Everyone knows that they were importing atropine ... (but) one would have to wait for more solid information" before drawing any conclusions.
Blix said he believed that even if the Iraqis had proscribed weapons of mass destruction, they would refrain from using them.
"In the first place, the world would say they were liars, and in the second place it would change the attitude of the world about the armed conflict," he said.
"That's a guess, and I may be wrong," he added.
The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission withdrew from Iraq on March 18, two days before US President George W. Bush declared the start of hostilities - Sapa-AFP
"Now that we have penetrated Baghdad's outer ring, the likelihood (of a chemical or biological attack) is negligible," said Captain Adam Mastrianni, the intelligence officer of the 101st Airborne Division's Aviation Brigade.
"The commanding general of the 101st, General David Petraeus, gave the order at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT) that soldiers in the division would be able to take off their anti-chemical and biological suits as of Friday morning," he added.
Mastrianni's aviation brigade is still based near the central Iraqi town of Najaf. He explained to the AFP correspondent travelling with US troops that the non-conventional threat against coalition troops engaged in Iraq had receded across the board.
US military planners had feared that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein might launch a chemical attack when US and British troops reached three zones.
"We thought if he was going to use chemicals, the first major town he was going to use them in was in Karbala," a major Shiite town less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad, Mastrianni said.
"The next major zone, was when we (coalition troops) penetrated outer Baghdad," he said, saying that could be defined as areas within 30 kilometres (20 miles) of the capital.
"Now the 3ID (3rd Infantry Division) is in Baghdad and no chemicals have been used," he added.
"We think that quite frankly, even if Saddam Hussein is in control, which is still debatable, he's paralysed by the fact he knows he will be prosecuted over warcrimes," he said.
"If he somehow survives this, and if he doesn't use them, then he looks kind of like the victim to the Arab world," he added.
Mastrianni added that a third reason was that US troops "did not find too many chemical areas." On Wednesday, as US troops got closer to Baghdad, they were ordered to move up to the next level of precaution against chemical or biological weapon attacks by donning rubber boots along with the protective clothing they have worn almost every day since the US-British invasion began on March 21.
It was the equivalent of asking soldiers to fight under a hot sun in heavy raincoats and thick rubber boots.
Each soldier also has a gas mask slung around his waist, and has been trained to put it on within nine seconds of the alarm being raised.
At the time, Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters at the Central Command forward headquarters in Doha that "there may be a trigger line where the regime sees a sufficient threat to use weapons of mass destruction.
Last week, Brooks warned that intelligence officers had received "indications through a variety of sources" that the Iraqi regime had issued "first orders" to use chemical or biological weapons if the coalition forces crossed the line.
US and British forces have discovered large supplies of chemical protective suits and gas masks in captured Iraqi military stores.
Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf last week dismissed US suggestions that the discovery of protective clothing in captured Iraqi barracks meant that Iraq possessed such arms.
"In war, the combatant expects the enemy to use anything at all," he said, adding that Iraq did not rule out the coalition resorting to "stupidities" due to "demoralisation caused by their defeat." Asked about the discovery by US troops of protective suits and antidotes to chemical weapons in Iraq, Blix replied: "Everyone knows that they were importing atropine ... (but) one would have to wait for more solid information" before drawing any conclusions.
Blix said he believed that even if the Iraqis had proscribed weapons of mass destruction, they would refrain from using them.
"In the first place, the world would say they were liars, and in the second place it would change the attitude of the world about the armed conflict," he said.
"That's a guess, and I may be wrong," he added.
The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission withdrew from Iraq on March 18, two days before US President George W. Bush declared the start of hostilities - Sapa-AFP
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