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Weapons Redux - More on Weapons of Mass Destruction

© lawhawk

It's been several weeks since I last wrote of the threat of terrorism. What has happened since then? Well, not much in the way of bombings or shootings in the Middle East - a definite improvement over things a few months back. This even flies in the face of the threats that Hamas had made leading up to the Passover and Easter holiday.

Hamas has been agitating since one of their prime bombers was found dead following an explosion. They argued that his death was the work of Israeli agents who shot him first and made it look like an accident. Palestinian Authority officials said that their investigation revealed that the bomber had died from the bombing but that the signs of being shot were the result of projectiles in the area being detonated by the primary explosion.

This didn't mollify the Hamas leaders who called for revenge. Middle East terrorists have a general pattern they follow in that they primarily use standard explosives or firearms to accomplish their deadly attacks. It is uncommon to find the use of plastic explosives in their attacks within the Middle East although it has been used to blow up planes or buildings in Europe.

That might change, however, with the possibility that weapons of mass destruction might make their way into the hands of these terrorist groups. Several articles have been written in the last week that mirror my previous articles on the subject. Weapons of mass destruction are a serious threat to national security and could definitely place the entire world at risk, not just a few individuals in the repercussions of such an attack. Chemical and biological weapons are easily concealed and could cause widespread deaths depending on climatic conditions and preparedness of the emergency response teams.

The US has been working on closer coordination with its emergency services teams and the military to increase readiness for attack with biological or chemical weapons. The Department of Defense has Nuclear Emergency Search Teams that are arrayed around the country to respond to nuclear threats and have sophisticated tools to deal with such situations.

Articles and Links:

Reuters and Wired wrote this article that explained the seriousness of biowarfare in relation to the US, but the lessons drawn can be easily applied to the Middle East.

CNN has this article about the threat posed by Cold War weapons that are not securely protected and how they could be used for terror purposes.

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