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U.S. troops exposed to chlorine gas

Jan-31-2008 » Filed Under: 4/2 SBCT

By Richard Tomkins, The Washington Times

BAQOUBA, Iraq — Two dozen U.S. soldiers and their interpreters were rushed to a hospital by helicopter this week from Diyala province's "bread basket" after being exposed to chlorine gas while destroying an al Qaeda explosives cache.

Military sources said all but four of the 26 persons were quickly returned to duty. The remainder stayed longer at the U.S. military hospital at Ballad, northeast of Baghdad, for additional observation.

"It was really ... scary," said a soldier who was on the scene and requested anonymity. "We saw the strange color to the cloud and ran to help. We had to use litters as bridges across a canal to reach them. It was a 200-[yard] run each way."

Lt. Col. Patrick Mackin, intelligence officer for the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, confirmed the incident. He said it occurred Tuesday about one mile north of Himbus.

The gas was in a metal cylinder, one of 19 found that usually hold propane but that al Qaeda packs with explosives for improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

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