With Friends Like This: Egypt Sought To Smuggle Over 30,000 RPGs In Violation of North Korean Embargo

Egypt1600px-Flag_of_North_Korea.svgWe recently discussed the controversy over U.S. taxpayers giving billions to Egypt as that country persecutes homosexuals, including its recent ordering of anal examinations of suspected gay men.  Now a new report indicates that the United States suspended aid temporarily when it learned that the Egyptian government was knowingly circumventing international trade bans with North Korea.  While North Korea was threatening the world with nuclear war and specifically targeting the United States, our “ally” was secretly trying to pay North Korea $23 million for over 30,000 rocket-propelled grenades.

U.S. intelligence learned of the smuggling operation run by Egyptian operatives. They arranged for the bordering of an old freighter flying Cambodian colors on its course toward the Suez Canal.  The rocket-propelled grenades were found under bins of iron ore in an obvious concealment effort.  The Egyptians not only undermined U.S. efforts but participated in what the United Nations is calling the “largest seizure of ammunition in the history of sanctions.”

The Egyptians immediately claimed to have cooperated with the operation but U.S. officials say that Egypt was behind the efforts to pay North Korea for weapons — money that could be used in its nuclear program targeting United States (which in turn is giving huge amounts to Egypt in foreign aid).

 

12 thoughts on “With Friends Like This: Egypt Sought To Smuggle Over 30,000 RPGs In Violation of North Korean Embargo”

  1. “…money that could be used in its nuclear program targeting United States (which in turn is giving huge amounts to Egypt in foreign aid”

    There’s no bigger sucker than the American taxpayer. This is the kind of garbage we get for our money instead of national healthcare.

    1. This is the kind of garbage we get for our money instead of national healthcare.

      Egypt receives about $1.5 bn a year in aid from the United States of various sorts. Gross expenditure on health care and allied sectors is now approaching $2,400 bn, So, you fancy we should cut off a friendly government on the basis of stray news report so we can finance 0.0625% of our annual expenditure on medical procedures and nursing.

  2. Didn’t Morsi win the election?

    Looks like an Egyptian general officer forcibly removed Morsi from office after Morsi did exactly what “Crazy Abe” Lincoln did during Lincoln’s “Reign of Terror” which was to nullify the Constitution and declare his omnipotence, supremacy and dominion.

    It’s kinda like Scotland can vote on secession but Catalan can’t, even as we understand that secession is a universal, natural and god-given right that existed before government was established. Wait. Brexit could do it but the CSA couldn’t?

    This freedom thing is tough for some folks, huh?

  3. Isn’t the illegal weapons trade ubiquitous? It’s going to happen unless every bit of cargo around the world is closely inspected, an impossible task. Or, unless, people decide to stop killing each other, an even more impossible task.

    1. True enough, unfortunately there is an ISIS insurgency currently in the Sinai and nearly on the border with Israel so I suspect that might have been influential, at least in the recent past.

  4. Suspending aid until they figure out exactly who is responsible for what is a great idea and lights a fire under Egypt. The thing about Trump is he doesn’t shilly-shally around about something and take months to decide. He makes a decision and moves on.

      1. Yeah, like Neil Gorsuch! Alternatively, he will be in place for many years/decades to come.

        You’re a genius!

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