Syrian Disarmament: Chemical Weapons, WMDs To Be Hidden In Iraq By Russia, Assad?

The Syrian disarmament of Assad’s chemical weapons are reportedly proceeding well, but some are worried Syria’s chemical weapons and WMDs may end up hidden in Iraq.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, there are allegations that Syria’s chemical weapons originally came from Iraq in the first place.

The United States and Russia have given Assad until July 1, 2014 to complete the Syrian disarmament. Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal is believed to include 1,000 tons of the nerve agent sarin and mustard gas. There’s also other banned WMDs at dozens of sites.

Syria’s chemical weapons are second only to Iraq to be forcibly removed. The job of cataloging Assad’s chemical weapons is supposed to be completed by November 1. Unfortunately, some of Syria’s chemical weapons are in the hands of Syrian rebels who do not want to give them up.

So far, both the United States and Russia say the Syrian disarmament is going well due to Assad cooperating. US Secretary of State John Kerry says they’re “very pleased with the pace of what has happened with respect to chemical weapons.” They cite the Syrian disarmament as having a “good beginning” but they also point out things could change months down the road.

Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Iraq The Source And Hiding Place?

Former Pentagon official John Shaw claims the Syrian disarmament could be a ruse by the Russians, who first suggested it in the first place:

“The Russians were the principal — if not the sole — supplier of chemical weapons to both Iraq and Syria…. Now we have the Russians ostensibly about to certify quantities of weaponry that until a few weeks ago no one admitted existed in Syria, much less that part of it had been moved from Iraq, or that all of it is Russian. Do we have some more Russian speznaz troops in civilian garb moving them back, or do we have the even more interesting spectacle of Syrian troops ferrying nerve gas over the border into Iraq? But the real question is who [the weapons] are going to and their real destination. We have made the poacher into the gamekeeper, so expect the usual avalanche of denials, distractions and dissimulation from the Russians.”

Shaw’s reference to “Russian speznaz troops” is referring to how Iraq’s WMDs were allegedly hidden in Syria in an agreement between Saddam Hussein and the Assad government. Even Syrian rebels freely talk about Syria’s Scud missiles coming from Iraq. Unfortunately, some people are already claiming the same is happening in reverse for the Syrian disarmament.

Brigadier General Zaher al-Sakat was a chemical-weapons specialist for the Syrian army until he defected to the Syrian rebels. al-Sakat claims he once was ordered to use chemical weapons on civilians but refused and secretly buried the WMDs instead. More alarmingly, al-Sakat also claims the Assad regime began moving chemical weapons into Iraq and Lebanon after the Syrian disarmament was suggested by Russia. Other Syrian army defectors have claimed the same.

These allegations are joined by reports from Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal that claimed the equipment used to manufacture Syria’s chemical weapons was being moved into Iraq. Leader of the Free Syrian Army, Salim Idriss, also claims Assad is secretly defying the Syrian disarmament agreements by hiding chemical weapons within Syria. Leaked documents also claim to show that roughly one metric ton of VX nerve gas was successfully sent to Hezbollah.

US officials are reportedly skeptical of some of these claims and Israeli military intelligence believes instead that the Assad regime is moving some of its chemical weapons further into Syria in order to hide them. Unfortunately, with US forces now pulled out of Iraq by President Obama, it may be difficult to verify claims that the Syrian disarmament is a ruse to hide WMDs. After all, it took years of occupation before American forces found some of Saddam’s WMDs in Iraq during the last several years of the Obama administration.

What do you think about the Syrian disarmament after hearing the history of Iraq’s WMDs in relation to Russia?