Bizarro: Spain intercepts N. Korean Scuds at US urging, but US sends the Scuds to Yemen

It began as perfect teamwork: The US informed Spanish warships in the Arabian Sea about an unflagged North Korean freighter laden with Scud missiles.

In its most important naval operation in decades, Spain acted with precision. A frigate raked machine gun fire across the freighter’s bow. When the freighter ignored orders to stop, snipers shot out the vessel’s mast cables, making room for a Sea Hawk to lower marines onto the deck. The Spaniards seized the ship, finding between 12 and 15 Scud missiles and warheads hidden under sacks of cement.

The State Department turned that brilliantly executed operation into what a British newspaper described as "a full-blown diplomatic farce."

According to press reports, Secretary of State Colin Powell decided to release the North Korean ship and allow it to deliver its Scuds to Yemen. Powell OK’d the release after the Yemeni president promised he would buy no more missiles – even though the White House said Yemen had broken two earlier promises. Other US officials said the shipment violated no international laws.

The Spaniards, among our staunchest allies in Europe, were livid, their diplomatic understatements notwithstanding. "The Spanish military forces risked their lives, and so far we don’t know why," said a defense ministry official in Madrid. Surely other allies are taking note of the incident.

Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney comments on the bizarre US-sends-North-Korean-Scuds-to-Yemen incident on Fox News. To read his column, Click here.

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