Stolen US Cars in Iraq
When people become the victims of a theft involving his automobile, it often presents them with many serious problems. Worrying about their vehicle being used to kill American soldiers has usually not been one of them. Stolen US cars in Iraq are being used as weapons.
Auto theft in the United States is a serious problem. Almost 1 million vehicles are stolen each year and only about 35% are ever recovered. The problems that this causes go beyond the victims themselves. Everyone suffers as the loss pushes insurance rates higher. Recently, a new problem and worry has emerged. Stolen US cars in Iraq are becoming the weapon of choice in suicide car bombings. The number of vehicles that have been traced to stateside auto theft and converted into a weapon in Iraq is slowly increasing.
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System which was begun in 1992 was intended to combat auto theft by putting all VIN numbers on a national database that would be easily accessed. However, the individual states have been extremely lax in putting this system to its maximum use and the tracing of stolen autos is made more difficult by this oversight. A large, but unknown, number of stolen vehicles are finding their way out of the country. These vehicles are being used to finance terrorism in some cases.
The most shocking use of stolen US cars is taking place in Iraq where terrorist have been using them as car bombs for suicide bomber attacks. Certain models have been highly favored because they closely resemble the types of vehicles used by Government agencies in Iraq and even the Iraqi security forces. These vehicles can penetrate much closer to intended targets. In some cases the VIN number, which is the vehicle identification number on the inside dashboard of the vehicle, has been recovered. The car is then found to have been stolen in the United States, often as much as two years earlier.
In other cases, the VIN number is untraceable because many sophisticated auto theft rings have been able to change or alter the number allowing the vehicle to be easily shipped to Europe where it finds its way into the hands of terrorist groups. The vehicles are then sold to provide funds, or even are eventually moved to Iraq to be converted into bomb filled instruments of death. Some of the vehicles used in recent car attacks in Europe come from this same source.
The problem of auto theft is a serious problem that is faced by every car owner and driver. It is an interesting thought that increased security not only helps you personally, but is actually now a way to fight international terrorism. The sophisticated methods used by large scale theft rings that target specific vehicles have made detection during transport difficult if not impossible. All auto transport firms, especially those involved in international transport should also be aware of the deadly and serious intended use for vehicles they may be innocently transporting. Increased vigilance can save lives.