October 27, 2004

• PLANET MORONIA

  
  

   

  
  

  -Updated

  
  

   

  
  

  Putin Padovis!

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

  Washington Times: Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein’s weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation, The Washington Times has learned. John A. Shaw, the deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said in an interview that he believes the Russian troops, working with Iraqi intelligence, “almost certainly” removed the high-explosive material that went missing from the Al-Qaqaa facility, south of Baghdad. – According to Drudge.

  
  

   

  
  

  The Times site is presently swamped with hits, so more to come later.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  UPDATE: 07:01

  
  

   

  
  

  Of course, if we honestly expect the Russians to “explain” what they were doing, we really need to tighten our drinking water standards.

  
  

   

  
  

  Now, according to the Financial Times of London, France may have helped out as well.

  
  

   

  
  

  John Shaw, deputy under-secretary of defense: “For nearly nine months my office has been aware of an elaborate scheme set up by Saddam Hussein to finance and disguise his weapons purchases through his international suppliers, principally the Russians and French.

  
  

   

  
  

  “That network included a major effort employing various Russian units on the eve of hostilities to both orchestrate the collection of munitions and assure their transport out of Iraq via Syria.”

  
  

   

  
  

  FT goes on to quote White House spokesman Scott McClellan, calling the matter a “very real possibility”.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Earlier BB Posts:

  
  

   

  
  

  The Axis of Oil

  
  

   

  
  

  Germany’s Role

  
  

   

  
  

  Kerry Warns Iraq to Become Another Lebanon: Syria to Still Play Syria

  
  

   

  
  

  Russian Oil and Political Corruption

  
  

   

  
  

  Humor: The UN’s Answer to Global Violence

  
  

   

  
  

  Interesting Neurosis Department: Moscow Times Calls Churchill is a War Criminal

  
  

  So what do you call those whose actions may have unnecessarily lead to allied beheadings and other atrocities?

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Related Blogs and News Sites:

  
  

   

  
  

  Beautiful Atrocities helps us to winnow the past year down to five easy paragraphs. If CBS had had their way would the January headlines have been, “Kerry Transition Team: There Were WMD After All”

  
  

   

  
  

  Interfax:

  
  

   

  
  

  Diplomat denies Russia helded Saddam move weapons

  
  

   

  
  

  MOSCOW. Oct 28 (Interfax) – Russian Charge d’Affaires to Iraq Ilya Morgunov expressed surprise over an article published in a U.S. newspaper alleging that Russian special services aided the former Iraqi regime in taking explosives out of the country.

  
  

   

  
  

  “These reports have greatly surprised me. Let them remain on the conscience of those who have circulated them,” Morgunov told Interfax from Baghdad on Thursday.

  
  

   

  
  

  Morgunov said he personally witnessed events preceding the beginning of the military action in Iraq. “I didn’t hear about any weapons to be taken out. Moreover, there was nobody to take them out,, because we actually evacuated all of our personnel,” he said.

  
  

   

  
  

  NOTE: Typos were in the original report, possibly due to too much Vodka on occasion of the mounting implications from all of this…

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Props to American Warmonger who linked to the Interfax story, along with several other news links, blogs and great resources, including a surprisingly fair one from the horse’s mouth.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Michelle Malkin also reminds us about how the Russians,

  
  

   

  
  

  GPS jammers sold to Iraq caused trouble for our forces in the early days of the invasion. President Bush privately lashed out at Russian president Vladimir Putin; the administration went public on March 24 2003 with the information. But it didn’t deter Russia, which also supplied night-vision goggles, technical support, and Kornet-E missiles to Iraq, among other weapons and goods that endangered American troops.

  
  

   

  
  

  The source she cites is Bill Gertz’ new book, Treachery. Gertz also broke today’s Washington Times story. Malkin also points out this is not the first time Syria’s name has been mentioned in connection with Iraqi Convoys. And she predicts a likely personal attack-response to all of this from Gertz’ critics.

  
  

   

  
  

  Also see Wizbang.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  

  
  

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  PLANET MORONIA

  • 11:51 pm
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