satirewire.com/news/feb02/warship.shtml
Nobody was more stunned than we were, said Kali Omari, first mate of the seized vessel. We saw this frigate steaming toward us, and we were worried, but then we saw the maple leaf on the flag, and we thought, Oh, Canadians. When an officer of the HMCS Vancouver announced that the tanker was about to be boarded, the crew of the detained ship was confused, said Omari, but their confusion quickly turned to anger when they saw what the Canadians sailors were carrying. They started asking us all sorts of questions, like Where did that oil come from?
According to Canadian defense officials, the Vancouver is one of four frigates deployed in the region to assist in the United States-led Afghanistan conflict. The tanker was stopped, officials said, because its cargo of crude oil violated United Nations sanctions, which prohibit Iraq from selling oil unless in exchange for food and medicine. The United States said the incident is already under investigation, and promised swift action against those found responsible for giving the Canadians guns. Initial findings indicate that the Vancouver crew may have been watching too many American television shows.
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