Red Handed
LEIPZIG/WASHINGTON/BERLIN/BAGDAD (Own report) - The transfer of reinforcements for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, by way of the Leipzig Airport, has begun. A contingent of 400 US soldiers landed last Sunday, as is being documented by photos, published here by german-foreign-policy.com. The troop transport arrived from the USA, as the German air traffic control confirmed on request, and indicated its destination to be Kuwait Airport. Allegedly this is a civilian transport machine of the US company, "World Airways", but German air traffic control proceeds from a military landing. This violates several international accords. World Airways is the largest US military service provider and is paid by the Pentagon. From now on up to 40,000 US combat troops monthly will be transferred via Leipzig. The US soldiers will be accommodated on German territory, to be in good condition for their forthcoming war deployment. According to experts in international law, this is an act of German aid to illegal operations taking place in third states. This flagrant violation of current legal norms is documented by german-foreign-policy.com in a picture series.
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| World Airways at Halle-Leipzig |
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| US soldiers leaving the plane |
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| Uniformed US soldiers on the way to German accommodations |
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| World Airways |
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| Wide-body Antonov |
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| Bangor (Maine) |
Last Sunday at around 16.40 a machine of the World Airways, the largest military service provider in the USA, landed at the Halle-Leipzig Airport. The MD-11 machine, chartered by the Pentagon, carried approximately 400 US soldiers en route to the Middle East theaters of war. According to information on hand at german-foreign-policy.com, about 40,000 (forty thousand) US soldiers monthly will be accommodated during stopovers at Leipzig. Thus Leipzig will become the most important German military turnstile for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. When landing and taking off, the US machines fly over the Berlin-Munich Highway.[1]
While the machines (type MD-11) were being refueled, the uniformed US soldiers left the plane and were fed on German soil. The soldiers were transported in four busses (each carrying 100 soldiers) to be served in the airport area (to the right in the photo: part of the Logo of the Pentagon contractor World Airways). According to experts in international law, the military use of the Leipzig Airport violates Article 5 Paragraph 3 of the 4-Plus-2-Accord, from September 12, 1990. In this document the World War II victorious powers agreed to German unification, but attached certain conditions, among them: No foreign troops can be stationed on or transferred over the former GDR territory.[2]
The accommodation layover (here: uniformed US soldiers on the way to German accommodations) violates German constitutional provisions. Under these provisions, participation in and abetting of aggression and wars of aggression is punishable. Concerning the assault on Iraq, the Federal Administrative Court ruled last year, that there "existed and continues to exist serious doubts [concerning its conformity to] international-law".[3] The US soldiers being accommodated in Leipzig are combat troops, on their way to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These transports over German soil in violation of international law, are portrayed by the German press as "vacation flights".[4]
The Pentagon contractor's, "World Airways" MD-11 planes, will be flying into Leipzig at high frequency. The Leipzig Airport Company can expect an additional income of over ten million Euros monthly, through the takeoff and landing and supplementary fees paid out of the Pentagon's budget. Saxonia and the city of Leipzig hold considerable shares in the Leipzig Airport Company. With over 300 million Euros, the tax payers will subsidize the current airport extension, allegedly serving civilian purposes.[5]
Previously, the US military transports passed through Shannon Airport in Ireland. They were rerouted, because Leipzig can ensure a 24-hour takeoff and landing schedule. Shannon had restricted nightly transports. Several wide-body Antonov 124-100 transport vehicles are also stationed at the Leipzig Airport (in the picture to the right). Under NATO and EU contract, they are to transport tanks, rockets and other bulky weapons to theaters in Africa and Asia, otherwise only accessible with difficulty. As the German Defense Minister recently confirmed, Leipzig will serve as supply airport for the coming military deployment to the Congo.[6]
The troop transports over Leipzig serve the rotation of combat personnel, who are flown to and from their deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan for recuperation to their home barracks. The airport in Bangor (Maine) is one final destination among others. In Bangor, the special machines used by the US military to bring home the corpses are also landing. US losses in Afghanistan and Iraq have reached proportions, that make constant reinforcements of combat troops necessary - via Leipzig.
Please read also Drehkreuz Leipzig.
[1] see also In den Urlaub
[2] see also Interview mit Prof. Dr. Martin Bennhold
[3] see also "Drehscheibe für den Krieg"
[4] see also In den Urlaub
[5] Please read also Drehkreuz Leipzig.
[6] see also Leipzig-Kinshasa
Copyright of the photos: Lutz Metzger/gfp.com (number 1-3), World Airways (number 4)
