The preparations for U.S. and European military interventions in Libya has raised questions of a potential response from Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. Information of a Libyan government owned garage, stockpiling some 10 tons of mustard gas, has added onto the fear of the Libyan people that their leader and current oppressor could use the caustic chemical to terminate large numbers of his own citizens. After spotting the garage–via satellite reconnaissance–Europeans fear that Gaddafi in the face of defeat could use the gas to deflate some of the last domestic opposition. Even though Western powers currently involved in Libya believe it to be unlikely, the former Libyan Ambassador to the United Nation does not, as he spoke to raise awareness of the matter last week.
Whether or not Gaddafi aims to use chemical weapons on his own people is uncertain; however what is obvious is that the current regime does not have the best interest of its citizens in mind. The potential use of mustard gas has not decreased the willingness of European nations to get engaged in Libya; as a matter of fact, since the discovery of the stockpile, Scandinavian and southern European nations have sent combat airplanes to ensure Libyan liberation.
Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/gaddafi-could-turn-to-libyas-mustard-gas-stockpile-some-officials-fear/2011/03/16/ABT9iEt_story.html
What a neat article. I had no inkling.