WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's latest explanation for 380 tons of explosives missing from Iraq is that Russian troops took them, the Financial Post said Thursday.
Deputy Undersecretary for Defense John Shaw told the newspaper there was intelligence the French were also involved in the removal of the explosives from the al-Qaqaa depot before the war began last year.
"For nearly nine months, my office has been aware of an elaborate scheme set up by Saddam Hussein to finance and disguise his weapons purchases through his international suppliers, principally the Russians and French," Shaw said. "That network included ... employing various Russian units on the eve of hostilities to orchestrate the collection of munitions and assure their transport out of Iraq via Syria."
The Russian embassy in Washington rejected the claims as "nonsense," saying there were no Russian military in the country at the time.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday there was a "very real possibility" the munitions were taken by the Saddam Hussein regime before U.S. troops arrived at the munitions facility south of Baghdad.
