German military team carries out chemical detection exercise

(22 Feb 2003) 1. Wide shot building as German army chemical 'sniffer' vehicle arrives for drill (near Camp Doha, north of Kuwait City) 2. Close up as vehicle turns 3. Rear shot vehicle 4. Close up vehicle trailing sensors along ground 5. Cutaway German flag on vehicle 6. Gloved hand comes out of special port at rear of vehicle 7. Probe collecting soil samples 8. German soldiers in chemical warfare suits and masks carrying samples 9. German oficer giving orders while wearing mask 10. Soldier swabs wooden surface for sample 11. Soldiers placing soil sample in plastic bottle 12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lieutenant Colonel Michael Oberneyer, Commander of Abwehrbataillon (Defence Batallion) Kuwait: "I have to underline that our mission is not to support any U-S or coalition attack on Iraq. We are directed by the mandate of the Operation Enduring Freedom. Our mandate is to give support to nations in the region to handle likely attacks by terrorists, for example with weapons of mass destruction, and to give support to these nations." 13. German vehicles being sprayed with cleansing agents to decontaminate them of biological or chemical agents 14. Soldiers hosing down vehicles 15. Soldiers getting out of their protective suits 16. Soldier taking off gloves 17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Norman Wessels, Abwehrbataillon (Defence Batallion) Kuwait: "It's really for.... it's no problem for two hours (wearing the full chemical protection suits) with this temperature." 18. Helicopters flying over Camp Doha, sniffer vehicle in foreground STORYLINE: German soldiers in Kuwait carried out a drill on Saturday to show their specialist vehicles and techniques for detecting and identifying chemical and biological weapons. In an exercise near Camp Doha, a military base north of Kuwait City which is the focus of the American troop buildup in the region, soldiers with the Abwehrbataillon (Defence Batallion) Kuwait rolled out armoured personnel carriers which sniff the air and collect soil samples. The German teams then set up a makeshift laboratory in the ruins of a bombed-out building and tested the samples for traces of mustard gas and nerve agents. The unit's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Oberneyer, pointed out that his troops were not in Kuwait to participate in any armed combat with Iraq, but purely in a defensive capacity. If Oberneyer's men detect any evidence of biological or chemical weapons, they have the training and equipment to carry out decontamination of personnel and equipment. This so-called 'DECON' unit currently numbers 59 soldiers, but an additional 200 men and more vehicles are available in reserve for immediate deployment. Other German units serve as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, combatting terrorism in the Gulf region and Afghanistan. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...