MOSCOW, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- About 75 armored trucks were airlifted to Syria to transport chemical weapons out of the country, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday.
Shoigu said the trucks were taken to the airport at the Syrian port city of Latakia in 38 flights over a three-day period last week, TV Novosti reported.
In a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Shoigu said the trucks and other equipment "will allow for the transportation of the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile to the port in Latakia for further transportation outside of the country and destruction."
Continued fighting throughout Syria has made transporting the weapons from the country a challenge, the U.N. mission overseeing the dismantling of Syria's chemical weapons inventory said recently.
In addition to the trucks, Shoigu said, Russia delivered water supplies, field kitchens, tents and other supplies Russian troops will need while in Syria.
