N. Korean rail explosion foiled missile shipment to Syria

World Tribune.com ^ | May 18, 2004

[TET1968]

N. Korean rail explosion foiled missile shipment to Syria

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM Tuesday, May 18, 2004 A North Korean missile shipment to Syria was halted when a train collision in that Asian country destroyed the missile cargo and killed about a dozen Syrian technicians.

[TET1968]

Get it done.

[So Cal Rocket]

Spec Ops?

[Izzy Dunne]

Here's to the IMF - good work, Mr. Phelps!

[Dilbert56]

That's a shame

[Robe]

The explosion was said to have been caused by a collision of two trains. The collision downed an electrical power line, the sparks from which detonated the fuel from the train.

Well if that ain't a Co-inky Dink

[ruiner]

That's what I was thinking, but they actually accepted our offers of assistance. Doesn't fit their MO in my book. But then again, they're all screwed up over there.

[TheLurkerX]

I'm glad this is finally getting some coverage.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.

[ostephani]

My thoughts exactly. I'm ignorant in many areas, but this all seems too coincidental.

[monkeywrench]

When "offers of assistance"=$$$, it is their mo to accept.

[MJemison]

Israeli spec-ops?

[mtbopfuyn]

And then there are those 200 anti-aircraft bombs found by the highway at a Russian port right by the border of China and North Korea.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1137627/posts

[oceanview]

I wonder if it may have been a missile hit from a drone? to put people on the ground in NK, and then retrieve the team - very risky.

[bwteim]

Two different sources that support the story

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aFzpAXst1IPc&refer=top_world_news

April 24, 2004: "The South Korea Defense Ministry told parliament last year that [North Korea] Pyongyang's largest source of hard currency is the export of missiles and that the North delivered 400 Scud-class missiles since 1985 to Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Iran and Iraq."

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-05/01/content_1450480.htm

May 1, 2004: "Two days after the train blast, the Chinese government promisedto provide relief goods worth 10 million yuan (about 1.2 million US dollars) to the DPRK. China stands as the first country to provide relief goods to the DPRK followed by South Korea, Russia and Syria."