And now we’re neck deep in this mess.

(Washington Times) — Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s troops in and around the rebel-held western Libyan city of Misrata have been issued gas masks, a sign that the regime may be preparing to use chemical weapons, rebels told The Washington Times on Wednesday.

The regime is thought to have about 9 tons of poisonous mustard gas at a secret desert location near Col. Gadhafi’s hometown, Sirte, multiple sources in Libya said.

Meanwhile, in New York, a special prosecutor for the International Criminal Court appeared before the U.N. Security Council to describe what he called “evidence” of “widespread and systematic” attacks on civilians by Col. Gadhafi’s forces.

Former Libyan officials, including Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, who served as the regime’s ambassador to the United Nations, have warned that Col. Gadhafi might use chemical weapons against the rebels.