Iraqi official : 200 explosive belts captured in truck crossing from Syria

Above: An Iraqi customs police officer checks the passport of a driver entering Iraq from Syria in April. Once the passport is checked, the driver will pull forward, show his manifest and get his load x-rayed.

BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces have seized 200 explosive belts in a truck that crossed into Iraq from Syria on Wednesday, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.

The incident occurred at the Waleed border crossing point, Khalaf said.

"When the truck was searched, 200 explosives belts were found in it," the general said. He added that the driver was detained and is being questioned. Khalaf did not give the driver's nationality.

The Iraqi government and U.S. authorities have accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq, a claim that Syria denies saying it is impossible to control the long desert border.

Read the rest at the International Herald Tribune

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