A clear sign that war in Iraq is imminent is to be found in the departure of five of the eight helicopters employed since January by the United Nations arms inspectors in Iraq, following the suspension of the aircraft’s insurance coverage on Sunday, March 16, reported Associated Press.
Bracing for a possible war with Iraq, the unnamed Western insurance company decided to suspend its insurance policy for the choppers operating in Iraq in search for evidence that Saddam’s Hussein’s regime is producing or developing weapons of mass destruction.
The five US-made Bell-212 aircraft insured by the unnamed Western firm were pulled out Sunday, while three Russian-made M-8s, insured by an East European firm, remain in the beleaguered zone, according to Iraq’s National Monitoring Directorate, which acts as a liaison with the UN inspectors. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
