WMDInspectors uncover Qaddafi’s hidden WMD stockpile
Last week international weapons inspector found clear evidence that the late Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi had large caches of hidden chemical weapons, despite making a promise to destroy all weapons of mass destruction weapons in 2004
A large cache of chemical weapons was discovered near Al Jufra airbase // Source: defense-update.com
Last week international weapons inspector found clear evidence that the late Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi had large caches of hidden chemical weapons, despite making a promise to destroy all weapons of mass destruction weapons in 2004.
Investigators from the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPWC), the international watchdog group that regulates the global ban on chemical weapons, said they had found sulfur mustard and artillery shells “which they determined are chemical munitions.” The shells were not loaded with any dangerous substances, but were designed to be filled with chemical weapons.
“They are not ready to use, because they are not loaded with agents,” said Michael Luhan, a spokesman for OPCW.
Luhan would not provide any further details on the amount of chemicals discovered in the hidden stockpile, but did say it was “a fraction” of what Qaddafi had publicly disclosed in the past.
The latest discovery was unearthed in a depot in southeastern Libya along with other chemical weapons that he had pledged to destroy in an effort to comply with international powers.
In 2004 Qaddafi said his regime had accumulatedtwenty-five metric tons of sulfur mustard and 1,400 metric tons of precursor chemicals used to make chemical weapons. In addition Qaddafi declared that his regime had more than 3,500 unfilled aerial bombs designed for use with chemical warfare agents such as sulfur mustard as well as three chemical weapons manufacturing facilities.
Qaddafi was in the midst of destroying these weapons stockpiles when the civil war broke out. Under the original agreement, Libya was scheduled to complete its destruction of its chemical weapons by 29 April, 2012, but due to the political turmoil will no longer be able to meet its goal.
Libya’s new government has been given until 29 April to establish a plan to complete the destruction of the country’s remaining chemical weapons.
