Is Syria Training for Chemical Attacks in Iraq?
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Folks, I think there is something important going on in Darfur, beyond even the genocidal extermination of Christians and Animists and other non-Muslims by the Sudanese central government.
In one of today's posts "WMD Stockpiles Found?" Vodkapundit Stephen Green has excerpted translations of a German article in Die Welt. The article (evidently the translation was posted on rantburg.com) indicates that western intelligence services are pretty sure that SYRIAN military special forces cooperating with the Sudanese central government, used chemical weapons to kill black Africans in Darfur.
Quote from the excerpted translation:
"at least five airplanes of the Syrian civil airline Syrian Arab Airlineswere flown from Damascus to Khartoum. Aboard were specialists of the Syrian University for Chemical Warfare including engineering equipment."
Link to this URL:http://www.vodkapundit.com/
(I tried to find the original article on Rantburg.com, but couldn't... Vodkapundit includes a link but it just goes to the main page, and I didn'tfind it there, and the search engine just kept chugging and seemed to be in a loop.)
Whether or not this explains the disposition of Saddam Hussein's WMDstocks, it is a very disturbing development. Maybe people are too preoccupied with local politics to devote much attention, but there are plenty of people alive who remember that Hitler loaned his military to the service of General Franco (i.e., the fascist republicans) during the Spanish civil war that started in the early 1930's. The NAZI military used that war to test tactics and weapons. They put the lessons to use in earnest just a few years later, after making adjustments and refinements indicated from assessments and after-action reports from the Spanish civil war.
Does the idea of Syrian special forces killing south Sudanese make any sense EXCEPT as a test exercise for their weapons and tactics? Has Syria ever made any contribution to the Sudanese Muslim government before, other than statements of solidarity? The fanaticism of the militant Islamic zealots may seem to be beyond our reckoning, but it's pretty darn unlikely that the government of Syria views the black africans or the Sudan People's Liberation Army as a threat. Simply, they are training to use their chemical weapons on targets closer to hand, say just across their own extended border with Iraq.
If you recall the 8-year war between Iran and Iraq, you may remember that after the war had dragged on for most of the decade, Iran was recruiting12-year old boys to serve in "Martyr Brigades." Their sole military function was to walk with nothing but the clothes on their skinny bodies, into minefields ahead of the soldiers, to step on and explode the mines, and so clear paths for the soldiers to use to attack the Iraqis.
I'm trying to find additional information about this, but it's reasonable to think our own government is probably ahead of me in this matter. I just think it's a slap in the face, reminding us of what we are up against. Mr. Rather and his dimbulb associates notwithstanding, there really are actual dangers out there besides the bogey-men that stalk their sweaty little nightmares. People need to be reminded of that. Or do we need further demonstrations from bin Laden & friends?
Folks, I think there is something important going on in Darfur, beyond even the genocidal extermination of Christians and Animists and other non-Muslims by the Sudanese central government.
In one of today's posts "WMD Stockpiles Found?" Vodkapundit Stephen Green has excerpted translations of a German article in Die Welt. The article (evidently the translation was posted on rantburg.com) indicates that western intelligence services are pretty sure that SYRIAN military special forces cooperating with the Sudanese central government, used chemical weapons to kill black Africans in Darfur.
Quote from the excerpted translation:
"at least five airplanes of the Syrian civil airline Syrian Arab Airlineswere flown from Damascus to Khartoum. Aboard were specialists of the Syrian University for Chemical Warfare including engineering equipment."
Link to this URL:http://www.vodkapundit.com/
(I tried to find the original article on Rantburg.com, but couldn't... Vodkapundit includes a link but it just goes to the main page, and I didn'tfind it there, and the search engine just kept chugging and seemed to be in a loop.)
Whether or not this explains the disposition of Saddam Hussein's WMDstocks, it is a very disturbing development. Maybe people are too preoccupied with local politics to devote much attention, but there are plenty of people alive who remember that Hitler loaned his military to the service of General Franco (i.e., the fascist republicans) during the Spanish civil war that started in the early 1930's. The NAZI military used that war to test tactics and weapons. They put the lessons to use in earnest just a few years later, after making adjustments and refinements indicated from assessments and after-action reports from the Spanish civil war.
Does the idea of Syrian special forces killing south Sudanese make any sense EXCEPT as a test exercise for their weapons and tactics? Has Syria ever made any contribution to the Sudanese Muslim government before, other than statements of solidarity? The fanaticism of the militant Islamic zealots may seem to be beyond our reckoning, but it's pretty darn unlikely that the government of Syria views the black africans or the Sudan People's Liberation Army as a threat. Simply, they are training to use their chemical weapons on targets closer to hand, say just across their own extended border with Iraq.
If you recall the 8-year war between Iran and Iraq, you may remember that after the war had dragged on for most of the decade, Iran was recruiting12-year old boys to serve in "Martyr Brigades." Their sole military function was to walk with nothing but the clothes on their skinny bodies, into minefields ahead of the soldiers, to step on and explode the mines, and so clear paths for the soldiers to use to attack the Iraqis.
I'm trying to find additional information about this, but it's reasonable to think our own government is probably ahead of me in this matter. I just think it's a slap in the face, reminding us of what we are up against. Mr. Rather and his dimbulb associates notwithstanding, there really are actual dangers out there besides the bogey-men that stalk their sweaty little nightmares. People need to be reminded of that. Or do we need further demonstrations from bin Laden & friends?
posted by Mad Fiddler at 11:54 PM
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