More On The Fallujah Sarin Vials

Last Friday I posted about the discovery of a case filled with vials labeled sarin:

In the course of locating seven weapons caches in a single block around a mosque in northeast Fallujah, an Iraqi platoon Wednesday found a suitcase full of vials labeled "Sarin," a deadly nerve agent.

While further analysis determined that the find was probably part of a Soviet test kit with samples, its discovery in a room with mortar shells appeared to indicate an intent to weaponize the material.

In this USA Today slide show, the second image is of the 40 vials labeled sarin. The caption reads:

Marines discovered 40 vials of suspected sarin gas while searching a house in Fallujah, Iraq. It was secreted in a briefcase hidden in a truck in the courtyard of the house. Two motars tubes, three motar rockets, compass and fire maps also found.

Following the credits, I found a series of 14 images at Getty Images showing Marines from the 1st U.S Marines Expeditionary Force, NBC, Nuclear, biological and Chemical Incident Response Force conducting tests on the vials. Marines found while searching an house November 11, 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq. U.S. Marines from the Bravo Company found the vials on November 11, 2004.

The Christian Science Monitor reported that analysis determined that the find was probably part of a Soviet test kit with samples, its discovery in a room with mortar shells appeared to indicate an intent to weaponize the material.

I was disappointed that the discovery was only reported by the Christian Science Monitor and NPR. I was surprised that it got very little attention in the blogosphere. Perhaps since Power Line has posted about the discovery it will get the attention it deserves.

At Captain's Quarters, Captain Ed posts that a CQ reader comments on the Russian and German labeling:

Those are marked as samples of soman, sarin and V- agents, the three main sorts of nerve gas. The Russian matches the English label, "For operating instructions..." and the German seems to be "Handle with Care."

Coyote Blog wonders why the sarin wasn't used in Fallujah.

Ed Driscoll wonders ewhy the insurgents would need a Sarin test kit.

Comments

[the Chairman]

To the best of my knowledge, Sarin doesn't spoil. BUT a test kit would have been useless. I have to assume that by calling it a "test kit" they mean that it is used to test FOR Sarin. In the US civilian and military inventories, there are a dozen items used to detect nerve agents like Sarin, VX, or other cholenesterase inhibitors. None of them could be used to kill a single person unless beat them to death with it. I think that this story has been taken the wrong way. If they have a test kit, what were they going to test? That is my question. Were they looking for chemical rounds? Do they have chemical rounds and were worried about them leaking? Why did they have test kits?

[cap]

I think the reason this story hasn't gotten much attention is that it's not much of a story.

This is a case of somebody getting hold of a Soviet sarin test kit, with apparent intent to turn it into a weapon, but never accomplishing that goal. It has nothing to do with any supposed WMD program by Saddam Hussein.

Note also that a Soviet kit must be at least 13 years old. Sarin loses its potency long before that, so it's probably long past the point at which it would have been possible to turn it into a weapon. So, several years ago, somebody acquired the kit with the intent to weaponize it, but never did so, and this is their leftover crap.

[JLawson]

It's a good question - why would they? Of course, considering the dates on the things it could well be left over from the Iran/Iraq war, where they used chem warfare. And, if they're like most militaries they rarely throw something away unless it's ABSOLUTELY expired or unusable.

Could be the insurgents saw the 'SARIN' on the testers and thought they could kill people with this.

No such luck. At worst, they'd cut someone with the broken glass.

J.