As-Saliyah, Qatar, Apr 03: US troops have found two
proscribed al-Samoud 2 missiles during operations near the
central Iraqi town of Hilla, the US Central Command said.
Elements of the first marine expeditionary force
discovered the missiles on Monday, Centcom said in a
statement.
The missiles violate UN resolution 687 with a flight
range exceeding 150 kms.
Centcom said at least one al-Samoud 2 missile had been
fired at neighbouring Kuwait since the beginning of the war in
Iraq on March 20.
UN arms inspectors charged with disarming Iraq
successfully oversaw the destruction of most of the 100-120
al-Samoud 2 missiles Baghdad said it had produced. The
inspectors were forced to pull out of Iraq on Mar CH 18 in the
face of the imminent war.
On March 17, Baghdad had scrapped 72 of the missiles in
what was considered the most tangible sign of its cooperation
with UN disarmament resolutions.
Bureau Report
