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Pentagon Extends Deadline to Destroy Chemical Weapons

HeadlineNov 21, 2006

Here in the United States, USA Today is reporting the Pentagon has quietly extended a deadline to destroy its arsenal of chemical weapons. The delay comes despite concerns over an increasing risk of accident or theft. The Pentagon’s stockpile includes deadly nerve gases and skin-blistering agents. Under the new plan, the weapons will be destroyed in 2023—11 years after the deadline set by the international Chemical Weapons Convention. Communities near the chemical sites are expressing outrage. Craig Williams, a spokesperson for the Kentucky-based Chemical Weapons Working Group, said: “To intentionally put tens of thousands of Americans at an unnecessary risk by continuing to store these weapons is reprehensible. Not only are they ignoring our international treaty obligations, they are undermining the military’s … obligation to protect U.S. citizens.”

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