Chlorine Bombings, Iraq

Chlorine bombs were first used by Iraqi insurgents on January 28, 2007, in the city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The bombs consisted of trucks packed with improvised explosives surrounded by chlorine cylinders, so that the poisonous gas was dispersed upon detonation of the explosives. In addition to killing many people, these bombs were intended to increase the psychological potency of insurgent operations and slow down the rescue effort by first responders, who had to deploy gas masks or wait for the poison to dissipate before they could attend to the injured. The use of chlorine bombs was an important escalation in the Iraq war, because it signaled the willingness of insurgents to experiment with chemical weapons.

Insurgents in Iraq can acquire chlorine from water and sewage treatment plants or by importing them from illicit traders in neighboring Jordan and Syria. While safe in small amounts, chlorine can cause fatalities if inhaled in large, concentrated quantities. Short of death, significant inhalation of the yellowish green gas can irritate the skin and lungs; cause vomiting and burns to the throat, nose, and eyes; and produce respiratory problems.

The main insurgent group to deploy this tactic has been al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), an extremist [Page 133]Sunni insurgent group with links to the transnational al Qaeda terrorist network. Abu Ayyub al Masri (also known as Abu Hamza al Muhajir), who led AQI from 2006 until his death in April 2010, called on scientists from the Muslim world to develop improvised weapons of mass destruction for use against the United States and its allies.

Chlorine bombings have been poorly executed in Iraq, and they have proven to be of limited military value to insurgents because the gas often burns in the explosion before it disperses in the air. Moreover, strong winds can blow the gas away from the intended targets, limiting its nefarious effects. There have been several chlorine bombings in Iraq since 2007, but while they sickened several victims, none actually produced mass casualties.