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CNN Sunday Morning
Coalition Troops Find Mortar Shells That May Contain Blister Agent
Aired January 11, 2004 - 07:02 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Action this weekend in southern Iraq. Coalition troops find some old mortar shells that may contain blister agents. And we have details now on that violent demonstration in the city of Omara.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is live this morning from Baghdad.
Good morning to you, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. As you say, a second day of demonstrations in the southern city of Omara. Today, so far, from the reports we have from coalition military authorities, there's been no flare up of yesterday's violence, only today have we seen some rocks thrown by the demonstrators.
They've been congregating here now for two days outside coalition offices, calling for jobs, levels of unemployment very high across the whole of Iraq. And here in Omara, they said that the coalition had promised them jobs.
Yesterday, there was a big flare-up and violence. Iraqi police and British troops opened fire on demonstrators. And British military authorities confirmed to us five Iraqis demonstrators dead and another one wounded. Iraqi police say some people in the crowd opened fire first.
In a second development, also in the south of the country, Danish troops uncovered a stash of between 30 and 40 mortar shells. They were leaking some kind of liquid.
Now according to the Danes, preliminary tests have shown that these contained some kind of blister agent, one of the chemical warfare agents. But they don't suggest that this is any kind of breakthrough in the search for weapons of mass destruction because they say these shells have been buried for at least 10 years, probably leftover from the Iran-Iraq War.
And in a third incident also in the south, in the southern port city of Basra, a U.S. resident was found dead. He's been working with the coalition authorities. He was actually one of the Iraqis that had returned to Iraq from the United States to help rebuild the country. And he had been working with the coalition to help interdict scrap iron smugglers, take stuff out of the country. He was found dead. So far though, those responsible for this death haven't been found.
COLLINS: All right, Karl Penhaul, thanks so very much for the update, live this morning from Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Blister Agent>
Aired January 11, 2004 - 07:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Action this weekend in southern Iraq. Coalition troops find some old mortar shells that may contain blister agents. And we have details now on that violent demonstration in the city of Omara.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is live this morning from Baghdad.
Good morning to you, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. As you say, a second day of demonstrations in the southern city of Omara. Today, so far, from the reports we have from coalition military authorities, there's been no flare up of yesterday's violence, only today have we seen some rocks thrown by the demonstrators.
They've been congregating here now for two days outside coalition offices, calling for jobs, levels of unemployment very high across the whole of Iraq. And here in Omara, they said that the coalition had promised them jobs.
Yesterday, there was a big flare-up and violence. Iraqi police and British troops opened fire on demonstrators. And British military authorities confirmed to us five Iraqis demonstrators dead and another one wounded. Iraqi police say some people in the crowd opened fire first.
In a second development, also in the south of the country, Danish troops uncovered a stash of between 30 and 40 mortar shells. They were leaking some kind of liquid.
Now according to the Danes, preliminary tests have shown that these contained some kind of blister agent, one of the chemical warfare agents. But they don't suggest that this is any kind of breakthrough in the search for weapons of mass destruction because they say these shells have been buried for at least 10 years, probably leftover from the Iran-Iraq War.
And in a third incident also in the south, in the southern port city of Basra, a U.S. resident was found dead. He's been working with the coalition authorities. He was actually one of the Iraqis that had returned to Iraq from the United States to help rebuild the country. And he had been working with the coalition to help interdict scrap iron smugglers, take stuff out of the country. He was found dead. So far though, those responsible for this death haven't been found.
COLLINS: All right, Karl Penhaul, thanks so very much for the update, live this morning from Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Blister Agent>
