There have now been multiple reports of attacks in Iraq by insurgents using trucks laden with chlorine gas. First weaponized for World War I, chlorine in gaseous form is a potent poison and burns and scars the lungs. Someone exposed to chlorine gas who survives, often has breathing problems for the remainder of their lives. The experience of Europeans with such tactics in the First World War lead them to reject the use of such weapons, because (1) they were inherently uncontrollable and often blew back to harm their users and (2) the aftermath of such weapons lead to a post-war world filled with permanently disabled and disfigured victims.
The fact that insurgents are now using such weapons is a sign that they know they are losing, and are growing desperate. However, the use of chemical weapons can simply not be tolerated. We need to find ways of punishing insurgents as a group for the use of chlorine gas (and perhaps worse weapons in the future) despite the distributed nature of their organization. Only by forcing the insurgents to police themselves - or face a blanket punishment by the world - can this kind of atrocity be prevented.
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