- Take a step forward toward a chemical weapons-free world: Biden.
- Chemical weapons were first used in World War I.
- They killed about 100,000 people during World War I.
The United States has destroyed the last of its declared chemical weapons stockpiles, President Joe Biden announced on Friday, ending a decades-long effort to eliminate the deadly weapons first used extensively in World War I. .
In a written statement released by the White House, Biden said, “Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the last of the ammunition in that stockpile — allowing us to eliminate chemical weapons.” We’re one step closer to a world free of horrors.” ,
As part of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was ratified by the US Senate in 1997, the US and other signatories are required to destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles by September 30, 2023.
The US is destroying its remaining stockpiles at the US Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colorado and the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Richmond, Kentucky.
In 2022, the last M55 rocket containing VX nerve agent was destroyed at a plant in Kentucky.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 1968 the US stockpile of chemical warfare agents reached approximately 40,000 tons.
The US Senate stated, “Chemical weapons are responsible for some of the most horrific episodes of human harm. While the use of these deadly agents will forever remain a stain on history, today our nation has fulfilled its promise to rid our arsenal of this evil.” Have done.” Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.
Chemical weapons came to the fore during World War I, which came to be known as the “Chemical Wars”.
According to the United Nations, chemical weapons killed nearly 100,000 people during World War I and have caused more than one million casualties worldwide since then.
