MOAB IS A WOMD

Advanced cluster bombs have also been used.
They are called MOABs, or
Massive Ordnance Airburst Bombs.

MOAB BOMB A WMD

Human rights organizations consider these MOABs to be
weapons of mass destruction.

Baghdad Battered by US Gas Bombs
Hassan Tahsin, Arab News, Apr 14, 2003
Saudi Arabia's first English language daily
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=25194

The United States and Britain alleged that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction. Thus disarmament became the initial justification for a military attack on Iraq. After more than 15 days of war, Brigadier Vincent Brooks, a military field commander, stated at a press conference in Qatar: “Until today, the American forces have not found any banned weapon of mass destruction in Iraq...”

If Washington and London are honest in the justifications they have presented for launching war, then it is neither possible nor acceptable that Baghdad and a number of other Iraqi cities should be shelled with chemical bombs.

Yes, that is the truth; Baghdad has been battered with chemical bombs and bombs carrying highly combustible depleted uranium. The website www.bbcarabic.com presents a detailed account of the type of weapons and ammunition used in the current war.

Aside from these munitions, advanced cluster bombs carrying ethylene gas have also been used. They are called MOABs, or massive ordnance airburst bombs, and they are essentially chemical bombs.

These ethylene bombs work by taking advantage of the effect of exploding fuel in the air. When a mix of fuel and air ignites, it creates a fireball and a wave of explosions that spread quickly over a much greater area than traditional explosives. The after-effects of the explosion are very similar to those of small nuclear bombs but without the radiation.

The American cluster bombs carry ethylene gas, of the kind used in the Second Gulf War, in three barrels, each of which weighs 100 pounds. Each barrel contains 75 pounds of ethylene oxide, whose industrial usage is the production of other chemical compounds such glycol ethylene and other highly poisonous compounds.

As for the way in which these bombs work, a fuse ignites the barrel at a height of 30 feet which breaks and opens the barrel, and the fuel is expelled dispersing in the air to create a cloud with a 60-feet radius and 8-feet depth.

The airburst spreads to areas that are difficult to attack with more traditional bombs. The cloud is poisonous in itself, and exposure to ethylene oxide leads to lung decay, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and shortness of breath and even cancer and birth defects. The gas is highly combustible and reactive.

After this, the main charge ignites the mix leading to an explosion that spreads at speeds of 3 km a second — faster than the speed of sound, and the mix of fuel and air burns at 2,700 degrees Celsius. It is possible to increase the effect by using additional warheads.

Traditional explosives such as TNT pack greater explosive power, but the MOAB explodes over a longer period of time and is more destructive, especially in enclosed spaces.

The degree of pressure created by the airburst is twice that of traditional bombs, where the air pressure would only rise to just above 1kg per sq. cm. With the MOAB, the air pressure goes up to 30kg per sq. cm.

The danger doesn’t end there. The explosive mix of fuel and air traveling at speeds exceeding the speed of sound leave behind a vacuum that sucks all air and other materials, creating a mushroom cloud. These explosions cause cerebral concussion or blindness, blockage of air passageways and collapse of lungs, tearing of eardrums, massive internal bleeding and displacement and tearing of internal organs, and injuries from flying objects. These are aside from the injuries mentioned above which result from inhalation of this poisonous ethylene oxide cloud.

It is for these reasons that human rights organizations consider these MOABs to be weapons of mass destruction. They don’t differentiate between civilian and military targets and their use in populated areas contravenes international agreements relating to war. MOABs are deemed to be internationally outlawed.

So does the use of this internationally banned weapon conform to the shining principles declared by the Anglo-American leadership in order to justify the brutal invasion of Iraq?

Dangers await Lebanese returnees (1,000-pound bomb in living room) & Lebanon oil slick disaster plan (a year and $65-million says UN). BBC/WashPost, Aug 21, 2006

Iraqis cry - "When will this stop?" ("Where is the government?"). KhaleeTimes, May 20, 2006. Go to IRAQ AFGHANI PHONY WARS

USA moves MOAB bombs (ready for next mission). Space War, Apr 10, 2003
The US Air Force is moving several 21,000-pound MOAB bombs, the largest US conventional bomb, to the Gulf region, a US defense official said Wednesday. It was not clear what the air force intends to do with the bombs, which are most effective against troops or tanks in open areas. "What we were told today is that they are on the way," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified. He said several were being shipped to the Gulf region. MOAB stands for Massive Ordnance Air Blast, but it is known informally as the "mother of all bombs." Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florda, where it was tested last month, the bomb is a larger version of the 15,000 pound "daisy cutter." The "daisy cutter" was used in Vietnam to clear jungle for helicopter landing pads, in the 1991 Gulf War to clear minefields and in Afghanistan to clear caves and strike fear into al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The MOAB has a satellite guidance system and a tail kit to steer it to within about 13 meters (14 yards) of its target. It is too big to be dropped normally. It is dragged out of the back of a C-130 cargo plane by a parachute.

Test of massive bomb in Florida (world's most powerful non-nuke). Herald Trib, Mar 10, 2003. SEE IMAGES OF MOAB & Brimstone & Fire of Moab (http://www.numeira.com.jo/numeira/dead_sea.htm)