In article ,
Scott MacEachern wrote:

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 06:42:35 GMT, Chad Irby wrote:

This has a decent description:
("The March 16 Chemical Attack on Halabja")
Specific mention of attack aircraft, not copters.
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/iraqanfal/ANFAL3.htm

That's what I was reading from the HRW site as well, although the
connection between the aircraft and gas isn't direct. "In the
afternoon, at about 3:00, those who remained in the shelters became
aware of an unusual smell."

You may be right, for the reasons that you give concerning
antiaircraft threats in Kurdistan atthe time... but note that both the
LA Times and the Guardian quoted sources that said that the 214s had
been involved.

The reports of the 214s being involved seem to all have come from
opinion pieces, not actual reporting. If you read some of the older,
non-eyewitness stories, you run into the phrase "it is believed" a lot.

Which, oddly enough, seems to have been quoted without attribution from
that same Mark Phythian guy who keeps selling books based on the idea
that the US and Britain armed Iraq (while ignoring everyone else, who
*really* sold them the weapons, and are still trying to collect on the
bills).

The US was really a very minor player in Iraq for most of the last three
decades.

--
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Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.