Insurgent's Crude Chemical Bombs Create More Fear Than Conventional Bombs

Just the mention of a chemical bomb brings to mind greater fears than that of conventional explosives. Yet chemical bombs generally will kill or seriously injure far less persons than conventional warheads do. The chlorine based bombs have caused few deaths so far, but are a serious psychological weapon for creating fear in the Shiite community in Baghdad.

Even the large supply of chemical warheads that Saddam Hussein once had were generally far less effective than what conventional explosives are. Chemical warheads generally are only highly toxic in a very small area as the air tends to rapidly dilute their deadly effects.

With a large supply of chlorine available for cleaning drinking water, insurgents and terrorists have a ready supply of this chemical. Other chemical weapons could involve pesticides or even mustard gas, none of which are good substances by any means, but both still less dangerous in general than high explosive TNT or other conventional explosives. But for creating a new climate of fear in the Shiite community, these Sunni terrorists have found a new weapon that will create fear and more distrust of the both the U.S. and Iraqi government security efforts, and only further undermiine any public confidence to provide safety and security.