US believes Russian technicians helping Iraqi defense: official - WASHINGTON , Mar 24: The United States believes Russian technicians are helping Iraq jam satellite signals that guide bombs and military aircraft even as US, British and Australian troops advance on Baghdad, a senior US official said. The official said Washington had evidence that personnel from a Russian firm were in Iraq attempting to help set up and operate a system that interferes with US global positioning technology. "The system is complex and there is evidence that they (Russian technicians) have been trying to bring this system on-line and help the Iraqis operate it," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We are extremely upset and have raised this at very senior levels with the Russians," the official said. The official stressed there was no indication that the Russian government was involved, but said Moscow had been "extremely unhelpful" in addressing US concerns. The official said Washington had confronted the Moscow-based Aviaconversiya firm with allegations that it had sold the system and sent personnel to Iraq and had been met with denials. The senior US official said however that US intelligence had been able to match an electronic signal emitted by the system in Iraq specifically to the system sold by the Russian firm. The Post story said two other Russian firms were selling weapons to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions -- but had declined to discuss specifics. The State Department said it had repeatedly brought sales of "militarily sensitive equipment" to Iraq to the attention of senior officials in Moscow, including in the days leading up to the war, but had not received a satisfactory response. "Such equipment in the hands if the Iraqi military may pose a direct threat to US and coalition armed forces," said Brenda Greenberg, a department. In addition, over the past two months, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's government has boosted its procurement of Kornet anti-tank missiles made by a Russian company named KBP Tula, the Post said. The company was hit with US sanctions last year for selling similar weapons to Syria. (AFP) (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
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After we shut down the Iraqis it is clear that the armament trade in the world will come to a standstill .. proliferation will end .. yep .. no way an India, Pakistan, China, Russia, or Turkey would ever sell a bomb to a bad guy in the future
US needs to quickly complain to the UN about those damn Russkies interfering in our hegemony |