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2 Russian generals given awards in Iraq on war eve [Gertz]
Washington Times ^ | October 30, 2004 | Bill Gertz

Posted on 10/30/2004 6:24:08 AM PDT by Quilla

Two Russian generals were photographed receiving awards from Saddam Hussein's government for helping Iraqi military forces less than 10 days before the U.S.-led invasion.

The two retired officers were identified by the newspaper Gazeta.ru as Col. Gen. Vladimir Achalov and Col. Gen. Igor Maltsev, both former high-ranking officers involved in Soviet rapid-reaction and air defense forces.

Both generals were photographed receiving awards from Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed in early March 2003, only days before the war began on March 20, 2003. The photographs were taken in a building that was bombed by U.S. cruise missiles during the first air raids on Baghdad, the newspaper stated. The mission and the reason the generals received the awards were not disclosed in the April 2, 2003, report. However, Gen. Achalov told the newspaper that he "didn't fly to Baghdad to drink coffee."

The comment bolsters the claims of Pentagon officials who say Russian military advisers and special forces units were helping Iraq's military and intelligence services before the Iraq war.

The Pentagon has identified Russia as Iraq's top arms supplier, along with France and China. U.S. military officials have said Russian military suppliers sold Iraq special electronic jammers that were designed to thwart attacks by U.S. satellite-guided joint direct attack munitions, or JDAMs.

The jammers were bombed by the JDAMs, after the global positioning systems satellites signals used to guide them were boosted.

John A. Shaw, deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said this week that two European intelligence services have obtained documentary evidence indicating Russian spetsnaz, or special forces, troops were involved in a covert program to shred documents on Russian arms sales to Iraq, and to move weapons out of the country to Syria, Lebanon and possibly Iran.

(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: axisofevil; axisofweasels; billgertz; geopolitics; gertz; iraq; russians; saddam; wmd
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To: nw_arizona_granny

Hmmmmmmm.


41 posted on 10/30/2004 4:40:05 PM PDT by Donna Lee Nardo
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To: TapTheSource

Bump!!!


42 posted on 10/30/2004 11:17:40 PM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: Just mythoughts

Hey Just My,

You might also want to check out...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1261017/posts


43 posted on 10/30/2004 11:33:43 PM PDT by TapTheSource
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To: Quilla
Two Russian generals were photographed receiving awards from Saddam Hussein's government for helping Iraqi military forces less than 10 days before the U.S.-led invasion.

The Pentagon has identified Russia as Iraq's top arms supplier, along with France and China. U.S. military officials have said Russian military suppliers sold Iraq special electronic jammers that were designed to thwart attacks by U.S. satellite-guided joint direct attack munitions, or JDAMs.

.....................any pictures of the French and Chinese officials?

/sarcasm

44 posted on 10/31/2004 2:38:53 PM PST by maestro
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To: Quilla
This story would be considered relevant now. They're not our friend
45 posted on 08/15/2008 10:46:47 PM PDT by april15Bendovr (Free Republic & Ron Paul Cult = oxymoron)
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To: elhombrelibre

Do you remember this article?


46 posted on 08/16/2008 7:33:52 AM PDT by april15Bendovr (Free Republic & Ron Paul Cult = oxymoron)
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To: april15Bendovr

I do remember it. I wonder if it can be reposted?


47 posted on 08/16/2008 7:38:10 AM PDT by elhombrelibre (Obama: vain, mercurial, inexperienced, aloof, condescending, doctrinaire, and Reverend Wright's son.)
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To: april15Bendovr
You're correct, they are not. Here's a more recent article for your perusal: Saddam's WMDs and Russia.
48 posted on 08/19/2008 12:06:03 PM PDT by Quilla
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