Iraq inspects second Syria-bound Iranian plane

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, April 9, 2013
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Iraqi authorities inspected Tuesday another Syria-bound Iranian cargo plane using the Iraqi airspace, said the Iraqi ministry of transportation.

"The aviation authority today forced an Iranian cargo plane flying from Tehran to Damascus to land in Baghdad airport for a surprise inspection," the ministry said in a statement.

The authorities found no banned military equipment on board, and the plane was allowed to take off to its destination, the statement said.

The inspection is the second in two days of its kind since the visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Baghdad late last month, during which he urged Iraqi leaders to stop Iranian planes carrying arms and fighters for the Syrian government.

U.S. officials have said the Iranian flights via Iraq to Syria are "close to daily," and that Iraq, which has vowed to inspect the flights, has only checked two planes last year.

The United States frequently accused Iraq of turning a blind eye to the Iranian flights to Syria, while Baghdad said the planes are only carrying humanitarian aid.

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