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2007-01-30 Iraq

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Posted by Chuck Simmins 2007-01-30 20:33|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11133 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 How hard are such SVBIEDs to cobble together? How hard is it to assemble that amount of chlorine? How stable is the chlorine gas in a (pressurized?) tank?

Posted by trailing wife 2007-01-30 20:40|| 2007-01-30 20:40|| Front Page Top

#2 Chlorine itself is not very stable; the reason it makes a good bleach is that it will react with damn near anything. I suspect the heat and pressure from the explosion was more of a boost to the reactive nature, and most of the chlorine was chemically bound pretty quick.

Naturally, some of those compounds could be dangerous, but I suspect this is another example of the jihadis operating more on faith (or Hollywood physics) than brains.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2007-01-30 20:54|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2007-01-30 20:54|| Front Page Top

#3 Actually, considering the nature of chlorine, a SVBIED is probably the worst way to deliver such an attack. A truck-mounted bug-spraying unit would be much effective : gets the gas up in the air a few feet where it can settle down and spread. When the Germans used chlorine against the British in the Second Battle of Ypres, they used the heavier than air aspect of chlorine to their advantage : the gas was pumped from tanks over No-Mans Land, and filled the British trenches, causing most of the fatalities from gas.
However, due to its volatility, chlorine is best used on cloudy, windless days and against dug-in positions. I can think of few climates that would be worse for the use of chlorine than Iraq on a sunny or breezy day.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-01-30 21:12|| 2007-01-30 21:12|| Front Page Top

#4 "The Al Jazeera Police and U.S. Soldiers..." Whaa?

Posted by Phineter Thraviger 2007-01-30 21:31|| 2007-01-30 21:31|| Front Page Top

#5 Al Jazeera is a city as well as a POS news service.

Posted by SteveS 2007-01-30 23:24|| 2007-01-30 23:24|| Front Page Top

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