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CNN Sunday Morning

Traces of Nerve, Mustard Gas Found on U.S. Base in Uzbekistan

Aired June 09, 2002 - 07:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In America's war on terror, there's a potential danger for U.S. troops operating out of a former Soviet military base in Uzbekistan. Traces of nerve and mustard gas have been found at that base.

CNN's Jane Arraf is live from Kabul, Afghanistan with more on this development. Hello, Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra. Well, troops have been evacuated from those areas where they found the traces of nerve gas and a blister agent, possibly mustard gas and those areas include a hanger, which was used as a military headquarters and a bunker and officials are now investigating which units might have been exposed to those traces.

It's important to note, though, that as you mentioned, no troops have shown any symptoms of sickness from any possible exposure. In fact these bases were checked for chemical weapons back in November and nothing was found. Officials are now wondering whether this might be possible heating up of the ground, which is releasing the vapors, the reason that they're now finding these traces of chemical and nerve gas on these bases.

But they're taking no chances and have evacuated everyone. They're also going to be checking U.S. bases in Afghanistan. Now the base in Uzbekistan has been a major transit point, a major staging point in fact, for U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 5,000 troops may have gone there. But military officials here in Afghanistan say there's no cause for alarm yet, that indeed no one is no one showing up with any symptoms of sickness from any possible exposure to what looked to be very old traces of chemical weapons from the Soviet era -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jane Arraf, thank you so much.

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