Ireland: US landed 1,500 army flights with weapons on board

Almost 1,500 flights landed at Irish airports last year carrying weapons, munitions, explosives and other dangerous goods on board.

Most of them are believed to have been destined for US military forces and to have passed through Shannon airport along with hundreds of thousands of US soldiers on their way to Iraq. The Department of Transport told the Irish Independent it never received a request for permission to land carrying depleted uranium ammunition.

Anti-war campaigners claim that planes carrying the ammunition, which is used as an anti-armour weapon had passed through Shannon.

The new figures, were revealed yesterday by the Department of Transport after media queries amid fears that an emergency landing at Shannon on Friday involved an old DC-8 cargo plane that was suspected of carrying explosives.

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