Reuters: Weapons found in Basra likely chemical - By Fiona O'Brien

Initial tests indicate blister gas present: BAGHDAD—Danish troops have found dozens of mortar rounds buried in Iraq which chemical weapons tests show could contain blister gas, the Danish army said yesterday. The initial tests, which have yet to be confirmed, were taken after Danish troops found 36 120-mm mortar rounds on Friday hidden in southern Iraq. The Danish army said the rounds had been buried for at least 10 years. "All the instruments showed indications of the same type of chemical compound, namely blister gas," the Danish Army operational command said on its Web site. "However, this will not be confirmed until the final tests are available," it said in a statement after the initial examination of liquid leaking from the weapons. Results of final tests were likely to be ready in about two days. Blister gas, an illegal weapon that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein said he had destroyed, was extensively used against the Iranians during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Mustard gas, one of the best known of the blister agents, can remain toxic in the soil for decades. Although it can kill if it enters the lungs, blister gas is used mainly to weaken infantry by making the skin break out in excruciatingly painful blisters. Four different types of instrument were used on three of the mortar rounds, the army said in its statement, adding that 100 more rounds could be buried at the site north of Basra. Icelandic bomb specialists working with the Danish soldiers said the rounds had been found concealed in road construction, Iceland's Foreign Ministry said. It said a mobile U.S. chemical research laboratory has been sent to help.