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U.S. holds nationwide biological attack exercise

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

Tuesday, May 23, 2000

WASHINGTON -- The United States has launched a nationwide exercise to respond to a biological weapons attack.

Thousands of people participated in the Topoff counterterrorism exercise that began on Sunday and will end on May 30. Officials said the exercise was the largest ever in the United States and comes amid assessments that terrorists or rogue states would target U.S. cities for biological and chemical weapons attacks.

In Denver, hospitals processed more than 1,300 people as part of the mock attack, Middle East Newsline reports. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, emergency teams trained in eliminating remnants of a mustard gas attack.

The exercise is being monitored by Cabinet secretaries in the Clinton administration. They included U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. More than 200 counterterrorism exercises were held between 1995 and 1998.

Later this year, federal authorities will hold the NCR-2000 exercise in the Washington area.

Tuesday, May 23, 2000

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