US denies gassing Iraqi town
The US military denies an accusation that American and Iraqi forces have used toxic gas during an attack on the Iraqi town of Tal Afar in which up to 200 insurgents have been killed.
The accusation was made in an audiotape by a man believed to be Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The message was posted on a website on Sunday, the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
"Anything the man (Zarqawi) says is probably not true. But for certain, the claim of poison gas is not true," a Pentagon official said.
A technical analysis of the message has not yet been completed.
But a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, says the Government believes the Zarqawi tape is authentic.
"That is, based on the fact that there's no record of false Zarqawi tapes ever surfacing," the official said.
The tape surfaced as US and Iraqi troops attack rebels and foreign fighters in Tal Afar.
Troops say rebels have been using the town as a conduit for equipment and men crossing illegally from Syria to fight the Shiite and Kurdish-led Iraqi Government and occupying US forces.
The Iraqi Army, backed by US troops, launched an attack on Saturday against an estimated 350-500 insurgents in the town near the Syrian border, following up with a fresh offensive on Monday, killing up to 200 in total.
In the undated tape, which runs about 10 minutes in length, the speaker says foreign forces want desperately to leave Iraq after suffering numerous losses.
"In Tal Afar, the Crusaders went in waves using the most destructive of weapons and the most poisonous of gasses," the tape states.
- Reuters
Link Here
The accusation was made in an audiotape by a man believed to be Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The message was posted on a website on Sunday, the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
"Anything the man (Zarqawi) says is probably not true. But for certain, the claim of poison gas is not true," a Pentagon official said.
A technical analysis of the message has not yet been completed.
But a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, says the Government believes the Zarqawi tape is authentic.
"That is, based on the fact that there's no record of false Zarqawi tapes ever surfacing," the official said.
The tape surfaced as US and Iraqi troops attack rebels and foreign fighters in Tal Afar.
Troops say rebels have been using the town as a conduit for equipment and men crossing illegally from Syria to fight the Shiite and Kurdish-led Iraqi Government and occupying US forces.
The Iraqi Army, backed by US troops, launched an attack on Saturday against an estimated 350-500 insurgents in the town near the Syrian border, following up with a fresh offensive on Monday, killing up to 200 in total.
In the undated tape, which runs about 10 minutes in length, the speaker says foreign forces want desperately to leave Iraq after suffering numerous losses.
"In Tal Afar, the Crusaders went in waves using the most destructive of weapons and the most poisonous of gasses," the tape states.
- Reuters
Link Here
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 5:26 AM
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