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| Britain | |
| Brit hi-tech military gear given to Iran used by Hezb'Allah | |
| 2006-08-20 | |
| High-tech equipment sent to aid Iran in its war on drugs apparently has ended up instead at the front in the Islamic republic's war on the West. Furious Israeli intelligence chiefs have complained to Britain and the United States that sensitive night-vision equipment recovered from Hezbollah fighters during the war in Lebanon was exported by Britain to Iran. Israeli officials believe the state-of-the-art equipment, found in Hezbollah command and control headquarters in southern Lebanon and used during the month-long Middle Eastern war, which claimed more than 2,000 lives, was part of a British-government-approved shipment of 250 pieces of gear sent to Iran in 2003 and intended to help Tehran track drug traffic on its borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The equipment, which needed special export-license approval from the British government, was passed to the Iranians through the UN Drug Control Program. Israeli military intelligence confirmed that one of the pieces of equipment is a Thermovision 1000 LR tactical night-vision system manufactured by Agema, a company with branches in England and San Diego. A spokesman for Agema in San Diego denied all knowledge of the system. The equipment can spot people and vehicles moving in the dark up to several miles away and would have enabled Hezbollah to detect and record the movements of Israeli forces inside Israel, as well as the military advance into Lebanon. Britain and Italy have both provided tracking and monitoring equipment over the past decade to try to stem the flow of heroin and opium into Western Europe from Afghanistan and Pakistan. A spokesman for the Foreign Office in London said last night, "The Israeli Defense Forces have confirmed to us they have found some night-vision equipment in south Lebanon that is apparently made in Britain. We're trying to get further details." The spokesman added that the government tries to "pick its poison" carefully when dealing with Tehran. "This is an area where we try not to let the nuclear issue prevent cooperation on countering narcotics," he said.
"The night-vision unit was used to observe the movement of troops," he said. "It's very close to the border, so it can see Israeli troops. You can also record what you are watching. Then it is connected to computers. You can obtain a perfect intelligence picture in real time about the situation | |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #11 Show me the money, mate. Now let's sit down and have some fish and chips. |
| Posted by: Art 2006-08-20 21:26 |
| #10 No. Thank you very much stupid credulous BASTARDS that did not anticipate that the Iranians would use the gear for purposes other than what they stated. NOTHING, not even a slice of bread, should go to Iran from the West. Word, Texas Redneck. Your statement applies to everyone but our most staunch allies. Anyone care to recall the $43 MILLION dollar Taleban aid package sent by the Bush administration in 2001? The 1993 Trade Center bombing was final notice that the looming spectre of global terrorism would soon (if it hadn't already), overshadow the always puny war on drugs. That said, I am not entirely averse to drug legalization - let's buy the stuff direct from the farmers at their price and give it away free to anyone who wants it, as long as they stay inside a compound someplace while they use it. Hand them a shovel, let them dig a grave, then give them all the drugs they want. Kind of harsh on the users - but better for everyone else. Now you are making a lot more sense, Glenmore. And, no, it is not "[k]ind of harsh on the users" if they are also offered intensive counseling as an alternative to personal grave-digging. This would certainly beat our currently overcrowded prison system or Europe's horrendous "needle parks." |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-20 21:01 |
| #9 Drug abusers provide the funds to Iran and other terrorists. Efforts to restrict the drug trade and accompanying money stream divert resources from other areas. They also provide avenues for valuable technology to find its way into enemy hands - as you say, this should not happen anyway, and it is not the direct fault of the drug abusers, but the 'demand' provided by the drug abusers market is a root cause. That said, I am not entirely averse to drug legalization - let's buy the stuff direct from the farmers at their price and give it away free to anyone who wants it, as long as they stay inside a compound someplace while they use it. Hand them a shovel, let them dig a grave, then give them all the drugs they want. Kind of harsh on the users - but better for everyone else. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-08-20 18:48 |
| #8 "Thank you very much, drug abusers." No. Thank you very much stupid credulous BASTARDS that did not anticipate that the Iranians would use the gear for purposes other than what they stated. NOTHING, not even a slice of bread, should go to Iran from the West. |
| Posted by: Texas Redneck 2006-08-20 18:24 |
| #7 Expect no help from the Foreign Office twobyfour, they are known to be pro-Arabist. |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2006-08-20 17:36 |
| #6 you're blaming the drug users, try blaming the gov agency that gaye the shit too them in the first place |
| Posted by: honkey 2006-08-20 17:35 |
| #5 Identification - not just a river in Africa. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-08-20 17:21 |
| #4 Besoeker, it's called "identification". No big, I do it once a while. ;-) Beside WP, EMP may be helpfull as well. If there's will there's a way. UK gummint needs to do something yesterday, remember the radioactive material intercepted recently by Bulgarians? |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-08-20 17:17 |
| #3 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-08-20 16:43 |
| #2 Air-burst White Phosphorus plays hell with NVG's, and it burns like a sumbitch. Next time in use my Willie Peter 155 rounds. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-08-20 16:42 |
| #1 And Iran has probably now reverse-engineered the gear and can manufacture its own version for use against us in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you very much, drug abusers. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-08-20 16:22 |