Posted on 11/08/2004 8:19:11 AM PST by presidio9
There are as many as 4,000 portable surface-to-air missiles missing — and possibly looted — in Iraq, U.S. military intelligence said yesterday. The missing missiles, which can be fired from the shoulder — one of which came close to downing an Israeli commercial airliner in 2002 — were part of Saddam Hussein's arsenal, according to an article in the Washington Post.
The report has prompted U.S. military and intelligence analysts to sharply increase their estimate of the number of renegade missiles that have vanished to about 6,000 worldwide, the paper said quoting administration officials.
Officials were wrestling with how many of the shoulder-fired missiles, one of which apparently misfired during the incident over Mombasa, Kenya, in 2002, are out there and where they might be.
"We don't have a good estimate," an official told the paper.
"Some have put forward some figures, but there is none that the Defense Intelligence Agency has confidence in."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
here we go again...
Many are probably in Fallujah.
Maybe they are with the 380 tons of explosives.
Iraq was/is a giant weapons dump. They will be digging this stuff up for years. Kick @$$ in Fallujah, then get back to rounding up this stuff.
So THAT'S why they're called "Shoulder-fired" missiles, I'm so glad they pointed that out.
I never would have figured that out on my own......................
Trucked by Ruskies to Syria?
Ask Josef Bodansky of John Loftus.
Officials fear the missiles might have been part of that loot, the Washington Post said."
They also fear that the missiles might have been destroyed as part of that loot.....
Can't be true, there were no WMDs.
2002.......wasn't that BEFORE WE INVADED IRAQ.......hmmm?????
"Maybe they are with the 380 tons of explosives.".....
AND the WMD's....
I think the Iraqi missiles were the SA-7 Strelas,which were late 1960s Soviet weapons & which a number of nations operate.It's arguably the most widespread MANPADS available on the market ,along with a number of Chinese & even Pakistani variants.The US Stingers which were shipped off to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 80s are another headache.2 Stingers were used by Pakistani militants to down an Indian Mig-21 & Mi-17 chopper.The Strela is obsolete by most standards & it was one of the reason why the Israeli airliner was able to dodge it.The much newer Russian Sa-16 Igla is much more sophisticated than the Strela & the Stinger,but is fortunately yet to reach the blackmarket in considerable numbers as most sales have been to armies.
Interesting. Thanks for the perspective.
The election is over. Bush won.
Isn't it odd that NONE of these supposedly stolen weapons have been used. Heck, if they're not going to use them, I'd let them waste all the time they want stealing them.
Don't forget "knee mortors" -- recall reading of soldiers receiving broken legs from placing the base on their leg for firing.
Not buying it.
If they were missing, why aren't they shoooting down everything that flies, eh?
You would think they would be dying to use them.
Oh well, just add it to the ALLEGED list of stuff.
Regards,
Joe
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