IRAQ: KURDISH PESHMERGA MILITIAS DISCOVER ANTI NERVE GAS VACCINES AT AN ABANDONED IRAQI BASE AT SATURA.

Record ID: 646623

  • Title: IRAQ: KURDISH PESHMERGA MILITIAS DISCOVER ANTI NERVE GAS VACCINES AT AN ABANDONED IRAQI BASE AT SATURA.
  • Date: 2nd April 2003
  • Summary: (W5) SATURA, IRAQ (NORTH) (APRIL 2, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. TRACK: TRUCK CARRYING KURDISH PESHMERGA SOLDIERS DRIVES INTO AREA. 0.13 2. WS: KURDISH PESHMERGA SOLDIERS ON HILL TOP. 0.18 3. VARIOUS: OF ABANDONED BASE BUILDINGS AND BUNKERS, SOME DAMAGED. (5 SHOTS) 0.44 4. CU: ABANDONED AMMUNITION BOXES. 0.49 5. WS: ABANDONED IRAQI BUNKER. 0.54 6. MLV: PESHMERGA SOLDIERS WALKING AND LOOKING THROUGH ABANDONED DOCUMENTS AND BOOKLETS. 0.59 7. MLV: PESHMERGA SOLDIERS STANDING AROUND. 1.06 8. SCU: GAS MASK CANISTERS ON GROUND. 1.10 9. CU: IRAQI GAS MASK ON GROUND. 1.14 10. SCU: PESHMERGA SOLDIERS SITTING ON GROUND AND LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS FOUND. 1.18 11. CU: OF ATROPHINE INJECTOR BOX ON GROUND. 1.23 12. SCU: ANTROPHINE INJECTOR BOX ON THE GROUND. 1.28 13. CU: OF ATROPHINE INJECTOR ON GROUND. 1.33 14. SCU: MORE OF ANTROPHINE INJECTORS BEING SHOWN TO CAMERA BY PESHMERGA SOLDIERS. 1.38 15. CU: OF ATROPHINE INJECTOR BEING TAKEN OUT OF ITS BOX. 1.49. 16. WS: PESGMERGA SOLDIERS LOOK ATABANDONED IRAQI ARMY HELMETS IN TRENCH OUSIDE BUNKER. 1.55 17. CU: OF HELMETS IN TRENCH. 2.01 18. WS/CU/CRANE UP: OF IMPACT CRATERS FROM BOMBS DROPPED BY COALITION AIRCRAFT NEAR BASE. (2 SHOTS) 2.13 19. WS: PESHMERGA SOLDIER WALKS BY BOMB CRATER 2.20 20. WS: SIGN ON HILL SIDE WRITTEN OUT BOULDERS READING: "SADDAM - LEADER OF THE ARABS" 2.25 21. MLV: PESHMERGA SOLDIERS IN BUNKERED POSITION. 2.31 22. MLV/SCU: PESHMERGA SOLDIER USES MORTAR RANGING SIGHT TO LOOK AT NEW IRAQI POSITIONS. (2 SHOTS) 2.39 23. MV: PESHMERGA SOLDIER WITH HEAVY MACHINEGUN. 2.45 24. MV: PESHMERGA SOLDIERS LOOKING AT NEW IRAQI POSITIONS IN DISTANCE. 2.49 25. VARIOUSMV/MLV: OF PESHMERGA SOLDIERS WITH HEAVY MACHINEGUN/ SOLDIER CLOSING AMMUNITION BOX. (2 SHOTS) 3.04 26. MLV/MV: OF A PESHMERGA SOLDIER TRAMPLING IRAQI ARMY UNIT FLAG AND THEN TEARING IT UP. (2 SHOTS) 3.16 27. MV: PESHMERGA SOLDIER STANDING ON HILLSIDE WITH HEAVY MACHINE GUN NEARBY. 3.20 28. LV/MLV: TWO U.S. SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIERS SITTING ON HILL SIDE. (2 SHOTS) 3.37 29. WS: U.S. SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER NEAR ABANDONED BUILDING IN BASE. 3.42 30. WS/MLV: OF VEHICLES WITH PESHMERGA SOLDIERS MOVING ALONG TRACK NEAR ABANDONED BASE. (2 SHOTS) 4.04 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SATURA, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA2JSAPBGZ5NM56Z3C73D3LEELW
  • Story Text: Anti-nerve gas vaccines have been discovered at an
    Iraqi army base in northern Iraq. The hill top base was
    abandoned by Iraqi army units manning a frontline position
    with the Kurdish controlled area, 40 km west of the town of
    Arbil. The Iraqis are believed to have withdrawn to positions
    closer to the city of Mosul.



    A Reuters Television crew accompanied Kurdish Peshmerga
    militias to the base at Satura on Wednesday (April 2). The
    abandoned position sits on a hill top looking east towards the
    Kurdish village of Kalak.

    Close to the base were large craters from bombs dropped by
    coalition aircraft on the Iraqi positions in the last few
    days. Some of the makeshift buildings at the base were
    damaged, possibly during the air raids.

    Kurdish Pehsmerga soldiers found gas masks and a stockpile
    of atrophine injectors, used to neutralise the effects of
    nerve gas agents.

    They also discovered a cache of abandoned weapons, grenade
    launchers, military helmets and military manuals. In the small
    Iraqi bunkers, Peshmerga found abandoned clothing and cooking
    utensils. The base appeared to have been left in a hurry, and
    without any fighting.

    A large sign made out of stones on a nearby hill side read
    in Arabic: "Saddam - leader of the Arabs". Jubilant Peshmerga
    soldiers trampled on a flag belonging to the Iraqi army unit,
    as they carried away what they had found.

    Accompanying the Peshmerga at Satura, was a handful of
    U.S. special forces soldiers, who kept their distance from the
    cameras.

    Across much of the frontline positions in northern Iraq,
    government forces appeared to be withdrawing towards the
    cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. Reports suggest the Iraqis are
    regrouping and bolstering their defences around these two key
    urban centres in the north.

    In recent days, coalition aircraft have been bombarding
    Iraqi army positions across much of the northern Iraq
    frontlines.

    The withdrawal at Satura, follows similar moves by Iraqi
    forces to the south and southeast of Arbil last week, at
    Qushtapa and Chamchamal.

    GULF WAR 3



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