(London Times) - Saddam Hussein is using a railway network linked to Syria for a smuggling operation that is supplying Baghdad with a vast range of military equipment and parts for weapons of mass destruction, intelligence sources say. Syria has become the main channel for smuggling equipment and arms to Iraq through the port of Tartus, from where they are transported along the Aleppo-to-Mosul railway line. Iraq is using the link to import a range of weaponry, including tanks sold by Bulgaria to Syria some years ago and allegedly diverted by Damascus to Baghdad, and air-defense equipment, Scud missile-guidance systems and surface-to-air missiles, originally bought by Syria from the Czech Republic. Baghdad may also be receiving components for its nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons programs via the Syrian smuggling route.
2002-06-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive