Suspicious Drums, Vehicles Found in Iraq

N E A R  B A Y J I, Iraq, April 26 -- Preliminary testing has detected chemical agents in a 55-gallon drum found in northern Iraq near missiles, warheads and suspicious vehicles, ABCNEWS has learned.

In recent weeks, U.S. forces have found a number of suspicious containers in Iraq that initial tests suggested contained potentially dangerous chemical agents. But the earlier finds turned out to be false alarms.

However, a Pentagon official said the fact that these chemicals were found with warheads raises the level of interest.

Besides 14 unmarked barrels, one of which was tested, a U.S. Special Forces reconnaissance team on Friday found at least a dozen missiles and 150 gas masks at the site east of Bayji, Iraq, about 130 miles northwest of Baghdad. Also raising suspicions were partially looted vehicles at the site with dosage charts inside.

A platoon of chemical weapons experts from the Army's 1-10 Cavalry was dispatched immediately to check out the discovery, and it took most of the night to secure the area.

This morning, Lt. Valerie Phipps and her squad used three different methods to test liquid from one of the barrels. The preliminary tests showed it to be a mixture of three chemicals, including a nerve agent and blistering agent. Phipps said the tests have an accuracy of 98 percent.

Phipps gave ABCNEWS an exclusive tour of the site.

More Tests Needed

The military plans to conduct further tests on the barrels. An international team of chemical weapons experts is expected to visit the site Sunday.

According to the Pentagon official, the military does not have testing equipment in Iraq that is sophisticated enough to eliminate all pesticides. Because pesticides can give a false positive, anything found will be sent to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland for further testing.

It will take about a week from the time the chemicals are shipped out of Iraq to the time the military has positive identification, the official said.

Missiles and Vehicles

Besides the unmarked barrels that were lying out in the open, missiles — some still in their shipping containers — were visible nearby, along with two specially equipped vehicles that Phipps speculated might be mobile chemical labs.