Russia delivers 75 armored trucks to collect Syria’s chemicals

Russia has sent 25 armored trucks and 50 other vehicles to Syria to help transport Bashar Assad’s chemical stockpile out of the country, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday. They were airlifted to the Syrian port of Latakia to transfer the toxins outside of Syria for destruction under international agreements. “It took 38 flights to Syria to deliver the materiel. Pilots did their jobs well. So did the troops on the ground, which provided security for the operation,” said the Russian minister. Earlier the UN mission supervising the dismantling of the arsenal warned that the overland part of the operation poses a considerable challenge due to security risks posed by the continued fighting in Syria.