U.S. May Buy Looted Libyan Missiles Sold in Mali’s Black Market

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Bloomberg News

The fall of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi has kicked off a race to recover key types of weapons taken from his stockpiles, such as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, by getting U.S. operatives to buy them before terrorists do.

There is evidence that a small number of Soviet-made SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles from Qaddafi’s arsenal have reached the black market in Mali, where al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is active, according to two U.S. government officials not authorized to speak on the record.

The disintegration of Qaddafi’s four-decade dictatorship has created a business opportunity for looters trafficking in the war-stricken country’s missiles, which would enable terrorists to attack military or civilian aircraft. With a buyback program, operatives on the ground seek out the sellers and offer high prices to recover the weapons.

“A buyback program is now critically important,” said Matt Schroeder, director of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists, in a telephone interview. “In Iraq, hundreds of missiles were recovered like this and in Afghanistan in the 1990s.”

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25/u-s-may-snap-up-qaddafi-s-missiles-in-mali-black-market-to-soak-up-supply.html

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

1. Any remaining SA-7 is more likely to blow up the person firing it than anything else

The IRA got their hands on some of these twenty years ago and didn't successfully fire a single one. I don't mean they didn't hit anything - I mean they just didn't work.

[shotten99]

2. Besides, wouldn't Qadaffi have tried to use most of his AA weaponry?

Doesn't seem legit to me. Rumor mongering at best

[pinboy3niner]

4. The State Department is taking it seriously

Source: AP

Libya chemical, nuclear material 'secure'

2011-08-26 13:02


Washington -

...


Raw nuclear material and chemicals aside, the fate of thousands of rockets is less clear. US intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts criticised slow work by State Department to locate and buy back dangerous munitions like the estimated 15 000 to 25 000 shoulder-fired missiles in Gaddafi's weapons stores.

...


(State Department spokesperson Victoria) Nuland said there has been a lot of "fear-mongering" about Libyan missiles and other threats, but she conceded that officials were concerned about the spread of shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile systems called Manpads.


"I don't think anybody knows" how many of the weapons Gaddafi has amassed, she said. Estimates had ranged up to 30 000, although US officials said on Thursday the total was probably slightly lower.

...


Manpads are a particular threat because a single rocket can bring down a helicopter or a passenger aeroplane. The Cold War-era rockets Gaddafi assembled are aging, and although the weapons are especially easy to operate they are also difficult to maintain and many may no longer work.

...


http://www.news24.com/World/News/Libya-chemical-nuclear-material-secure-20110826

[BadtotheboneBob]

3. I'd rather see the US try to round them up then take the chance...

... that some (or even just one) would work against an airliner. I heard several times on MSNBC, Col. Jack Jacobs ret.(MOH), a man whose opinion I respect, opine that the missles were his greatest concern regarding the stockpiles of weapons.

[formercia]

6. Perhaps they were modified not to work.

It wouldn't be the first time it happened. Back in the early 80's we bought a large quantity of SA-7s to supply the Anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan. None of them worked either. The East Germans made sure of that.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. The shelf life on these things is limited and they are very fragile

No tampering required, and the weapons provided by the US were the Redeye and Stinger missiles made by General Dynamics.

[formercia]

9. That was after the SA-7 episode

I had one of the SA-7s displayed in my work area. It was a cutaway made for show and tell.

[pam4water]

5. Can we buy them on credit ;)

[pinboy3niner]

7. That should be no prob. Just post your card #...

...and we'll do a quick check for you. :evilgrin:

[LetTimmySmoke]

10. In essence, we are paying these Malinese mercenaries to collect the weapons for us.

[Devil_Fish]

11. Who sold the damn things to Daffy in the first place? I'll bet it was US. NT

[daleo]

12. It would be a nice way to pay off some people for services rendered

They "loot" these weapons, then the U.S. government pays big money to get them back.

Of course only cynics come up with ideas like.