Hundreds of military and civilian personnel from Ukraine, the United States and 10 other countries practiced joint responses to a mock terrorist chemical attack as part of a NATO-sponsored exercise Wednesday, according to AP. Hosting the Joint Assistance 2005 anti-terror maneuvers is the latest effort by this former Soviet republic in its bid to join the military alliance, which has stepped up cooperation with Ukraine since a pro-Western administration came to power. Carsten Fausboll, director of the NATO-led Department for Emergency Situations who helped coordinate the drill, said the 1,000 personnel _ including 250 Ukrainians _ were working to overcome language barriers and work as a unit. «Only a few nations have the capacity ... to cope with serious incidents,» he said. «We have to practice this so we can respond rapidly.» The exercises in western Ukraine, which began Monday, saw experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, in protective coveralls, rubber boots and gas masks taking air samples as they inched down the grassy field toward a crumbling brick building where two devices reportedly filled with toxic chemicals had been found.
