US sends 10 armored cars to inspectors in Syria

Nearly $6 million has been provided by Washington to help rid Assad regime of its chemical weapons

By AP 22 October 2013, 4:45 am

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Members of a UN investigative team take samples near the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, August 28, 2013. (AP/United Media Office of Arbeen)

WASHINGTON — The US has given 10 armored vehicles to the United Nations to help support efforts to verify and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons.

The United States spent $1.55 million from the State Department’s Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund to pay for the armored vehicles, which were shipped recently.

The State Department said Monday that the Royal Canadian Air Force provided an aircraft to transport the vehicles from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to the Middle East.

So far, the US has provided nearly $6 million in financial and in-kind contributions to help rid Syria of chemical arms.

Car bombs and mortar shells recently have exploded close to a Damascus hotel where inspectors with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are staying, underscoring the risky nature of their work.