Hundreds of Iraqi Police Fall Ill Simultaneously - Poison Suspected

Hundreds of police fell mysteriously ill in the South of Iraq while sharing a meal in the wake of Ramadan. They appear to have been poisoned. The US Military helped transport them to a hospital for treatment. Exact figures have not been released, but one official who was interviewed claimed that up to 40% of a 1700 man division had been affected.



Wow, what a mess. I suppose it's entirely possible that the culprit is food poisoning or some bacteria in the water - but still...

If this is a prelude of things to come, I would not want to be an Iraqi policeman. It makes perfect sense from the standpoint of those seeking to destabilize the region. Why kill their opponents one at a time, when they can attack hundreds or even thousands with one action?

Hopefully the men will recover, there's no evidence yet that anyone has died as a result of the incident - so that's good. Still, not a pleasant situation, and as I said before, this does not bode well if it's a glimpse of things to come.

(Edit) Well, so much for good news. Now a report has come out stating that there have been 11 deaths so far. The report has been contested, but it ought to be mentioned. It wouldn't make any sense to report deaths that hadn't happened, whereas there is an understandable motive for concealing the extent of the damage done...

www.usatoday.com...

An official with the Environment Ministry said 11 policemen had died. However, the governor of Wasit province — where the poisoning took place — denied any deaths, though he said some of the victims were in critical condition. There was no immediate explanation for the contradictory reports.

Between 600-700 policemen were affected to varying degrees, and 11 who had the heaviest amount of the food had died, Atwan told AP.

Some of the soldiers collapsed as soon as they stood up from them meal, others fell "one after the other" as they headed out to the yard in the base to line up in formation, Atwan said.

That doesn't sound like food poisoning, or bacteria in the water...
[edit on 8-10-2006 by WyrdeOne]

[edit on 8-10-2006 by WyrdeOne]

E-Coli?--like in our Spinich, Carrots, and now, Lettuce? Oh, methinks there is definately
"something in the Water"----. Going to be interesting to see if it is E-Coli--and the same strain.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
That doesn't sound like food poisoning, or bacteria in the water...

Agreed. This is so sad and scary. Seems this would go out as a 'message' to any stabilizing force in the country of Iraq. Not to take away from the Iraqi police, but everyone who eats or drinks is vulnerable to those who want them dead. :shk:

Just how protected would food and water sources be in that country?
Not being sure the food your eating to serve your STARVING stomach afterh ours and hours of patrols and battles would be about the last straw I imagine.

Obvioulsy, the insurgent forces if you will, arent under enough pressure..
If they have the time, the means and the ability to poison food/water supplies... then I think its contrary to what the foreign affairs minister said today
'' thinks are not as desperate as they seem ''

As far as this being E. Coli, I think that's very unlikely. In my experience, that takes at least six hours or so to start affecting someone. If these men were literally just finished with their meals when symptoms kicked up, I'd say it's a sure bet they were poisoned with something.

The question is..what?

Poisoning has been tried before by the Iraqis. Granted this was three years ago but still.
Who would expect a poisoned water tank????


www.post-gazette.com...

yes but in a situation like that where people drink as and when you risk only a few people being exposed before the source is discovered and stopped

from a purely technica point of view this attack seems immpecable perfect time when they know 700 people were going to drink at the same time

www.cnn.com...

Iraqi authorities have arrested the man in charge of the mess hall in Numaniya, where hundreds of Iraqi police fell ill after eating their evening meal on Sunday, breaking their daily Ramadan fast.

Initial lab test results of the food and water suggest it was negligence by the contractor, not an attack, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. General Abdul Karim Khalaf said.

The contractor was arrested and the cooks are being interrogated, he said.

Despite earlier reports, Khalaf said there were no deaths, and that 450 police were sickened at the mess hall about 75 miles (120 km) south of Baghdad.

So, this smells a bit like a coverup.

Then again, it could just be a case of initial reports blowing the severity of the illness out of proportion.

Negligence... yeah... like cooking with chlorine bleach instead of water.

If this wasn't intentional, then I think it really would have to be something that crazy to cause such a quick reaction.