In terms of offense, WMDs have shown themselves to be almost worthless...and there has been no offensive use of gas at all.
You are mistaken. CW has been used offensively in the following campaigns:
Nasser used gas in the Yemeni campaigns
The Anfal campaign against the Kurds, led by Saddam's cousin, "Chemical" Ali, used CW to wipe out whole towns of the opposition.
Saddam shelled Iranian troops and cities with CW in the Iran-Iraq war:
"Then, on April 17, 1988, Iraq launched its first major ground offensive since 1980, employing the Republican Guard in the spearhead of an armored assault on the Iranian positions on Al-Faw. In a single day, the Guard and several army formations swept aside the Iranians after a terrifying preliminary bombardment of artillery and chemical warfare."
Ken Pollack, The Threatening Storm, p23
Not only an offensive use, but an effective one.
As for your predictions about Saddam giving up "useless" WMDs, you keep on crawling out on that limb, Carl. Need I remind you that Saddam has already given up 200 billion dollars in oil revenue because he wouldn't give up WMDs as he pledged to do in the armistice agreement? |
