U.S. to release Scud ship to Yemen

MSNBC | 12/11/02

[areafiftyone]

The United States has agreed to release a North Korean ship that carried Scud-type missiles destined to Yemen, a senior U.S. administration official said Wednesday. Yemen had protested the high-seas seizure by Spanish and U.S. forces and demanded the release of the cargo, which it said was intended for the country’s military.

EARLIER ON WEDNESDAY, Jim Miklaszweski reported U.S. military officials were frustrated at Yemen, which is ostensibly an ally in the U.S. war on terrorism. They said Yemen had previously denied ownership of the cargo, but now that the government has claimed the arsenal, the United States has no choice under international law but to release the weapons.

[Nexus]

Looks like Yemen just found a ground score. They denied it at first because they really were not the recipients, but when they relized they could get away with claiming them, all the sudden it's "Those were for our military!". Twelve free SCUDS, how nice.

[Pearls Before Swine]

i like your sarcasm, but it also raises a point....

Thanks.

IF they were defensive, defensive from whom? and if not defensive, then offensive, and offensive for WHOM? who is yemen going to attack or defend itself from with SCUDS?

That's exactly what I was getting at without being explict. Yemen is in the middle of nowhere, except for its desert border with Saudi Arabia. Who's going to attack them--the Sudan? Doesn't it seem far more likely this is an example of government/terrorist collusion?

Further, scuds are rather inaccurate. Therefore they are useful against large targets, such as cities, or with highly dispersive weapons, such as WMD biologicals or chemicals. Further, I believe their range is somewhat limited, so I don't know what they could hit from Yemen. But they could be trucked to somewhere closer to their desired target, couldn't they?

I'd bet that target is Israel. The funny thing about inaccurate or unreliable missiles is you don't know for sure whether they'll end up in Israel or Palestine or even Jordan. Can you say "collateral damage?"

[Mo1]

These missiles cost $60 MILLION....these were not intended for Yemen..

Well if some of the posts here are correct .. whoever they were intended for .. they will be getting $60 Millions of useless missiles

[Poohbah]

Yup.

The scene: a warehouse in Yemen.

"Hold the light up closer, Selim. Ah! There it is! This piece doesn't appear on any Scud blueprints, it must be the Americans' locator bug. I'm going to pull it out."

"Abdul, I'd check with Faisal before messing with that piece...the Americans might have booby-trapped it...Abdul...STOP...ABDUL, YOU GOAT-FORNICATING SON OF AN INFIDEL, DON'T FIDDLE WITH THAT--"

(A tremendous explosion is heard, and the tape ends.)

[Redbob]

This the same "Yemen" that harbored the U.S. Cole's bombers?
Same "Yemen" where U.S. troops were murdered just a few weeks ago?

Are we out of our f*cking MINDS?

They should have simply dropped those Scuds overboard, said "Oops, sorry!" and been done with it!

[Digger]

This again just shows how serious we are in PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE from the so-called enemies. If you think GW is running the show he is not. This One World Order calls the shots & electing these puppets in this "Two-Party Cartel" just dooms out fate. But there is football on & that six pack is cold.

[MeekOneGOP]

[nocommies]

screw the rest of the world... if the leftists of the world and the arab fundamentalist radical terrorists hate the US, i am 100% for it! i suppose by international law, we had no grounds to take the cargo. HOWEVER, if we watched it from north korea to the arabian sea, dont we suppose it will be watched by many many keen eyes in yemen, and wherever it tries to go from there? these scuds will forever be accounted for. but again, absolutely screw the rest of the world, we have the high moral ground, and we should keep it, our "friends" and enemies, be damned.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Consider this from the Washington Times on the 2^nd of December.

N. Korea ships fuel, missiles to Yemen

Containing the following …

"We deny the credibility of any such report, that there is a second [missile] shipment," said Yahya Alshawkani, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy. Mr. Alshawkani said the only missile shipment from North Korea took place earlier this year.

U.S. officials said the U.S. government protested the missile sale, which was arranged during the Clinton administration, and that the Sana'a government promised not to purchase additional missiles.

So we have N.Korea selling missiles they’re not supposed to sell to Yemen who has promised not to buy them.

…and the band played on.

[Station 51]

Hey, Mo1. I really like your home page with the picture of Presidnet Bush standing under the sign that reads "We Won't Back Down." Looks like the Dubya just backed down to Yemen! Who will he back down to next, Bangladesh?

[MatthewViti]

Are we out of our f*cking MINDS?

Sorry to say this, but yes. This country has lost all morality and sense of duty. How sad it is when we let our enemies go, we welcome them to our shores (Hanan Bashwari was just here meeting with Powell), and we don't defend those people (Israel) that the enemy would love to destroy.

Wake up Bushbots!

[Smogger]

This is the dumbest thing. They should have distroyed those weapons first.

I believe, that the administration is curious to see where the missles are end up. You can bet satellites will track this cargo from now until the end of time.

[hchutch]

OR...

The scene: The Desert.

A Scud is moving on its transporter.

A Predator flies overhead.

It fires two Hellfire Missiles.

The next scene: CENTCOM HQ

An operator smiles, leans back.

"Empty missile rails, toasted al-Qaida, and it's Miller Time."

[nocommies]

very good point!

[anobjectivist]

What is going on!?!

How are we supposed to ensure our own protection when a COMMUNIST NUCLEAR POWER such as North Korea is shipping large weapons to middle east countries that aren't exactly PRO US? Who's calling the shots on this one? Are these scuds going to be pointed at our heads when we engage Iraq? Let's not forget that North Korea has been developing nuclear weapons BEHIND OUR BACKS regardless of what agreements they signed!

[Mr. Mojo]

U.S. military officials were frustrated at Yemen, which is ostensibly an ally in the U.S. war on terrorism.

Ostensibly is right. But in reality, they're no more an ally than Saudi Arabia is -- which is, of course, not in the slightest.

[Mo1]

Good try .. not falling for it ..

[MatthewViti]

Is it really that hard to figure out?? More wasted money and more wasted time, and possibly more lives ssacrificed.

[realpatriot71]

we have the high moral ground

Do we?

[Tommyjo]

Yemen has operated Scuds since the 1980s. During the Civil War Scuds were used by both opposing sides. Yemen has in the past had a long standing fued with Eritrea and uses the Scuds as a bit of a prestige weapon. Yemen received a batch of North Korean Scuds back in 2000.