Elite Syrian Unit Scatters Chemical Arms Stockpile

WSJ ^ | 9/13/2013 | ADAM ENTOUS, JULIAN E. BARNES AND NOUR MALAS

[mojito]

A secretive Syrian military unit at the center of the Assad regime's chemical weapons program has been moving stocks of poison gases and munitions to as many as 50 sites to make them harder for the U.S. to track, according to American and Middle Eastern officials.

The movements of chemical weapons by Syria's elite Unit 450 could complicate any U.S. bombing campaign in Syria over its alleged chemical attacks, officials said.

[....]

The unit is in charge of mixing and deploying chemical munitions, and it provides security at chemical sites, according to U.S. and European intelligence agencies. It is composed of officers from Mr. Assad's Alawite sect. One diplomat briefed on the unit said it was Alawite from "janitor to commander."

[....]

The movements, activities and base locations of Unit 450 are so sensitive that the U.S. won't share information with even trusted allies in the opposition for fear the unit would be overrun by rebels, said current and former U.S. officials.

The U.S. wants any military strikes in Syria to send a message to the heads of Unit 450 that there is a steep price for following orders to use chemical weapons, U.S. officials said.

At the same time, the U.S. doesn't want any strike to destabilize the unit so much that it loses control of its chemical weapons, giving rebels a chance to seize the arsenal.

[mojito]

Big leak. Lots of new info. Read the whole thing.

[CMB_polarization]

The true nature of any attack on Syria would be to defend a small force of Israeli and CIA operative in the arrest of Assad. That's how it's shaping up.

If Russia allows it, Assad will be getting the Milosevic treatment very soon.

[Former Proud Canadian]

Here is a big question that NOBODY is asking. Where did Assad get his weapons? He did not manufacture them. So, did he buy them from the Russians? Did he produce them from precursor chemicals he purchased on the open market? Or, did he get them from Iraq?

I think Saddam, with Russia's help, trucked them to Syria.

[A Navy Vet]

Not sure if Syria had the tech and capability to manufacture chemical weapons, but we all know Saddam did and even used them on the Kurds. I strongly believe that Syria’s chem/weaps came from Iraq. Need I remind anyone of the long truck convoys leaving Iraq towards Syria just prior to the Iraq invasion?

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm ..?? According to some of the maps that FOX is showing on TV - it lists the “manufacturing” locations, and the stockpile locations.

But, I too have surmised that a lot of the Syrian stockpiles are from Iraq. I think it’s possible to test some of these and determine by the chemical composition that they did come from Sadaam.

But, what really galled me was the fact that the info put on TV clearly let Assad know that we knew where the stuff was .. so Assad could move the stuff before we launched a strike.

Isn’t that really aiding and abeting the enemy ..??

[mojito]

Assad undoubtedly “inherited” chemical stockpiles from Iraq, but he has also imported the components of chemical weapons from Russia and even the UK.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/revealed-uk-government-let-british-company-export-nerve-gas-chemicals-to-syria-8793642.html

[rrrod]

Do you recall the 100s of trucks passing thru Iraq to Syria? Russions and Germans. We let them go on because they claimed diplomatic immunity.

[mosesdapoet]

There is an earlier report by CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3066070/posts that cites the opposition as a source.This one identifies a unit 450 . Is there such a unit ? Actually I don’t think it would be in Assads or more importantly Russia’s interest to do this. Russia has a worse problem with the radicals than do we plus there are more Moslems in Russia than in the US.

I think Putin is a sincere Russian dedicated to Russian interests in what he’s doing.

[justa-hairyape]

Syria originally was supplied with Chemical WMD from Egypt. Then they went on to build and manufacture their own. They have perhaps one of the largest active stockpiles in the world. Anyone advocating a limited strike against Syria needs to be put into the insane asylum.

[bicyclerepair]

I saw the parade of 18-wheelers leaving iraq online like 10 years ago.

But since it didn’t fit the LSM’s agenda it was ignored.

[justa-hairyape]

Syria had stockpiles of Chemical and Biological WMD long before that movement of WMD from Iraq to Syria. If anything, the equipment to manufacture WMD components and the gear to safely handle WMD, could have enhanced the Syrian WMD capabilities, but they already were fairly large. The Syrians needed the WMD to offset the Israeli Nuclear WMD capability. And the Euro trash was more then willing to help give the Syrians the capabilities to once again attempt an extermination of the Jews. Quite a bit of technology transfer occurred between the Germans to the Syrians.

[Truth29]

"Here is a big question that NOBODY is asking. Where did Assad get his weapons? He did not manufacture them. So, did he buy them from the Russians? Did he produce them from precursor chemicals he purchased on the open market? Or, did he get them from Iraq? I think Saddam, with Russia's help, trucked them to Syria."

Or were the latest attacks false flag operations by the rebels with weapons supplied by the US from Benghazi?

[sergeantdave]

“according to American and Middle Eastern officials....officials said...One diplomat briefed on the unit said...said current and former U.S. officials...U.S. officials said...”

Another unsourced article. The neo-con liberals thirst for war and blood continues.

[Newbomb Turk]

President Obama. Leave war to the warriors and STFU.

“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[SunkenCiv]

Obviously a false flag operation — the rebels are moving around the chemical stockpiles and making it *look* like the Syrian army is doing it. /s

Thanks mojito.