Kurdish civilians are scattering from their towns, fearful of being bombarded with poison Iraq by the Baath Party if war breaks out with the US. The Baathists hit the Kurds with poison gas in 1988 for colluding with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. The horrible attack on Halabja in March of that year left an estimated 5,000 dead. Journalist Shirzad Shaykhali toured the area for Asharq al-Awsat and found many people terrified and moving or thinking about moving to the countryside.

It would be a grotesque nightmare if Saddam tried to take more innocent Kurds down with him as his armageddon approaches. It seems to me, though that he would have difficulty delivering the gas at this point. The US would interdict gunship helicopters or fixed wing planes, and it is not clear he has any scuds left. Let's hope I'm right.