India a dumping ground for Iraqi war junk (Asia Times Online)

Hidden in the huge consignments of looted machinery, shattered tanks, mangled building material, chopped-up railroad boxcars, machinery components, copper and aluminum ingots and bars, steel rods and water pipes imported by India from Iraq are live shells and ammunition.

Last month, one of the shells blew up in Ghaziabad (near New Delhi) killing 10 workers and injuring dozens more.

The army's bomb-disposal unit has started investigating the imported scrap and says that "the find so far in New Delhi and nearby towns alone can start a little war."

100s of shells and mortar rounds are being reovered from scrap yards across the country.

Little or no security in Iraq, no checks in intermediate countries like Iran and Dubai and no customs policy against unlicensed scrap import have all contributed to the problem.

The Indian government has started taking steps to stem the flow of this dangerous scrap.