Cannon goes missing during Syrian pullout

Daily Star (Lebanon) ^ | Tuesday, September 28, 2004 | Agence France Presse

[SunkenCiv]

Syrian troops recovered the cannon on the side of a main road in the town of Chtaura, about 20 kilometers west of the Lebanese-Syrian borders. A senior Lebanese Army officer said Sunday that Syrian forces had achieved more than 80 percent of their limited withdrawal from Lebanon... [S]ome expected a pullout of all 17,000 or so troops from Lebanon. But some 3,000 troops have redeployed to areas of the Bekaa, leaving their posts in Aramoun, Khaldeh and Damour.

[SunkenCiv]

One word to the not-so-wise from the President of the United States, and Syria moves some troops. Probably this is part of a move by Syria to dig in along the border with Iraq, as well as shoring up its forces in the Bekaa valley against the possibility of an attack by Israel.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

[oolatec]

Or maybe we told them to go guard Iraq's WMD which have long been suspected of being buried in the Bekka Valley... surely we have been keeping an eye on them...

[Shryke]

I found him.

[Ranger]

If you look at this move plus the arrest of the al-Qaeda operative planning to blow up the Italian embassy in Beirut last week, one might speculate that a wave of islamic terrorist attacks against western targets in Lebannon is about to occur. Then the Syrians can say,to the UN, look what happens when we pull out of Lebannon. My speculation anyway.

[SunkenCiv]

Oh, I think you're definitely onto something. Excellent call.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent