US truck carrying radioactive materials turned away by Kuwaitis

[donsu]

http://www.buzzflash.com/mailbag/04/06/mai04164.html

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Subject: radioactive materials

Is it true that a US Army truck was prevented from entering Kuwait carrying highly radioactive materials? Were they trying to plant them in Iraq (WMD)? What will Bush think of next.

Tim Adams

Subject: US truck carrying radioactive materials turned away by Kuwaitis

Ok, sleuths and conspiracy theorists. Hot off the presses...We need to see if this is true or not. Spread the word, share the info.

U.S truck carrying radioactive material caught in Kuwait (aljazeera.com)

Kuwait refused to allow a radioactive material-bound truck to enter the country as demanded by the US army, Kuwait Times reported Sunday.

Kuwaiti customs department on Thursday impounded four trucks on route to Iraq for suspicion that they were loaded with radioactive material.

After checkup, three of them were found not containing any radioactive material, while the fourth was found to be carrying a container of highly radioactive substance.

Customs officials refused to open the truck, and insisted that it should not move before American military personnel and Kuwaiti security officers arrive at the scene.

The officials said the American army warned against opening the container and asked that it be allowed proceed, but they refused.

Three of the four trucks were then released and the fourth one was sent out of Kuwait to where it came despite the US army's objections.

NOTE: This event was reported by the Kuwait Times.

Sharon J.
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yep, a geiger counter is a handy thing to have

[qazplm]

1. I'm assuming they were coming from Iraq

so they wouldnt be trying to plant WMD's since they were already in Iraq.

Unless they were coming into Kuwait from somewhere else?

[I thought so.]

2. It was leaving Iraq.

A real non-story.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/13/content_1523130.htm

[Gruenemann]

3. trucks were headed to Iraq

according to the article.

[phatkatt]

4. It doesn't mention which border

Border with Saudi Arabia, perhaps?

[Nihil]

5. Trucks were headed *from* Iraq *to* Kuwait

> KUWAIT CITY, June 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Kuwait refused to allow a
> radioactive material-bound truck to enter the country as demanded by
> the US army, Kuwait Times reported Sunday.
>
> Kuwaiti customs department on Thursday impounded four trucks coming
> from Iraq for suspicion that they were loaded with radioactive
> material.

(from the Xinhuanet article ref'd a few days ago)

Leaving the "planted WMDs" hypothesis to others, I'd still like to know
just WTF the US Army is playing at ... shipping highly radioactive
material out of an occupied territory into an "allied" (but still
NP prohibited) country?

Nothing to see here. Move along. NOW!

Nihil

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. to back that up, the original Kuwait Times story

see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=625170#625568

which clearly says the material was going from Iraq into Kuwait. The archives (one week) are in PDF form of the printed paper - select '1' to get page 1, where the article was.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/archive_en/sun/

Truck carrying radioactive material sent back

KUWAIT: Informed sources said the customs department released three out of four trucks it had impounded since Thursday after suspicion they were carrying radioactive material from Iraq to Kuwait for the US Army. The trucks were driven by four Indians. Sources said it was found that three trucks did not contain any radioactive matter, while the fourth was found to be carrying a container of highly radioactive substance. Customs officials refused to open the truck, and insisted that it not move before American military personnel and Kuwaiti security officers arrive at the scene. Sources said the American Army warned against opening the container and asked that it be allowed proceed, but the officers refused. The sources said that is was then agreed to send the truck out of Kuwait to where it came from despite the US army's objections.


Why the Army is shipping radioactive material out, I don't know either. As my post in the earlier story noted, someone (maybe just a scrap dealer, we can't tell) is shipping radioactive loads to Jordan too.