Thousands of U.S. weapons in Iraq missing Updated 10/30/2006 9:43 AM ET WASHINGTON (AP) â Thousands of weapons the United States has provided Iraqi security forces cannot be accounted for and spare parts and repair manuals are unavailable for many others, a new report to Congress says. ON DEADLINE: Read the report, guess where the weapons went The report, prepared at the request of the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., also found that major challenges remain that put at risk the Defense Department's goal of strengthening Iraqi security forces by transferring all logistics operations to the defense ministry by the end of 2007. A spokesman for Warner said the senator read the report over the weekend in preparation for a meeting Tuesday with Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Warner, who requested the report in May, "believes it is essential that Congress and the American people continue to be kept informed by the inspector general on the equipping and logistical capabilities of the Iraqi army and security forces, since these represent an important component of overall readiness," said Warner spokesman John Ullyot. The inspector general's office released its report Sunday in a series of three audits finding that: â¢Nearly one of every 25 weapons the military bought for Iraqi security forces is missing. Many others cannot be repaired because parts or technical manuals are lacking. â¢"Significant challenges remain that put at risk" the U.S. military's goal of strengthening Iraqi security forces by transferring all logistics operations to the defense ministry by the end of 2007. â¢"The unstable security environment in Iraq touches every aspect" of the Provincial Reconstruction Team program, in which U.S. government experts help Iraqis develop regional governmental institutions. The Pentagon cannot account for 14,030 weapons â almost 4% of the semiautomatic pistols, assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other weapons it began supplying to Iraq since the end of 2003. The missing weapons will not be tracked easily: The Defense Department registered the serial numbers of only about 10,000 of the 370,251 weapons it provided â less than 3%. Missing from the Defense Department's inventory books were 13,180 semiautomatic pistols, 751 assault rifles and 99 machine guns. The audit on logistics capabilities said there is a "significant risk" that the Iraqi interior ministry "will not be capable of assuming and sustaining logistics support for the Iraqi local and national police forces in the near term." That support includes equipment maintenance, transportation of people and gear and health resources for soldiers and police. The audit on Provincial Reconstruction Teams said that, because of security issues, they "have varying degrees of ability to carry out their missions." Auditors reviewed nine teams and four satellite offices and found "4 were generally able, 4 were somewhat able, 3 were less able and 2 were generally unable" to accomplish their goals.
Where's your reasonability and common sense? Honestly, and very seriously... people that blindly accept the premise, scare me more than that of terrorists.
We have armed gangs running around our cities also. They are killing each other regularly. Yet I hear no major disgust or outrage. Could it be because we have no US military role there? African American Males killing African American Males over drug turf that neither owns. But they are civil. They do not kill too many innocent folks except as collateral damage when they miss each other. And they too are generally African American so it doesn't matter too much I guess. We should expect and accept some slippage. And as African Americans, we have come to expect and accept this bad behavior within our communities also. We seem to live, survive, amongst all the illegal pursuits that go on in and around our lives. We've been told to not judge as these thugs are just trying to survive too! We have come to know and understand that no material change is on the horizon. The answer is always, move away! Yet what about those left in the mire? Oh yeah, democrats wish to send in a new Link card program and provide unbounded health care. The village that they speak of and always want to manage never looks like them. It's always described as, "the POOR." Clearly they are not considered to be amongst the poor. They just represent those within their districts. And somehow $2 more an hour will make the stench more palatable. As usual, never mind where that $2 will come from, just make it happen. Sure big business MAY be able to adjust with layoffs (which will be economically translated into poor economy with all the firings), but somehow that corner store that employs the downtrodden doesn't get honestly considered and accounted. Eight employees there means $2,560 more in payroll every month with this new "help the poor adjustment." No one ever bothers to ask where that will come from. It just will.... And republicans seem bent on letting things work themselves out and then being there when all is better. Somehow they will religiously accept all and live in harmony now that you have accepted their new way of living and thinking. And I don't know that this way of thinking is any better than the original shoot 'em up outcome that exists as far as viable solutions goes. You see it never touches the reality of folks who never looked out for the future rolling right on by them. Those who do not, and in some cases will not, take responsibility because they don't feel the need to. And the abuse of the resources ~ will continue. Your aid, your food, your intentions will be absorbed by this undulating mass of non-directed soles looking to just survive. To just get by! And the political answer as usual, feel bad and send/spend more MONEY! There truly are many similarities to the Iraqi mess right here at home. There is a modern version of a civil war afoot in America. It is both racial and economic. And the new Mexican underclass is growing at rates which have us now making budget adjustments to accommodate their illegal behaviors. They want, dammit need, hell, must have, that new minimum wage to survive in America. And you through your politicians attempt to find another vote or two, will grant this in the name of "feeling good!" How dare you even consider resisting. Have you no compassion? (Damn, I should be a politician! As an African American, I could make waves in either party. Political correctness really has paralyzed the ability to disagree without racial motives being suspected.) There ARE major issues sliding forward right here at home. But eyes are closed because no troops are dying. We're relatively comfortable here at home when compared to other lands. And the waste in efforts, resources and solutions for the foreseeable future, will continue!! What a country!
Maybe I shouldâve put some kind of (winky) (winky) emoticon in my post. I thought that two nonsensical platitudes that we here from the supporters of this folly would have been enough.
Very well put. I remember as a child going on visits with my father to black guys he worked with. None of us was well off, and their homes and neighborhoods were not that different from our own. I'd be afraid to drive through those areas now. If the KKK had been put in charge of the federal government and told to destroy blacks, they couldn't have done much more damage than liberals did through compassion.
So 99% of the missing weapons were handguns. My guess is most were stolen and sold or given to family members for self defense. It does point up how ridiculous our administration of Iraq has been. Why are we giving them weapons in the first place? They have enormous oil revenues, let them buy them, from American manufacturers at inflated prices.
You call it racist? I don't see it that way. His statement would easily cover my thoughts and abilities and I'm African American. There are several of my peoples communities where I do not feel safe, day or night. And I would easily feel afraid for him to be there after dark (even though I might not fare much better). To many, I am considered a sellout for not endorsing the phantom struggle with "the Man!" My accomplishments are considered freakish and belittled. My Benz does not wear the bling of stature! It sits on original shoes and it does not sport the playstation attachments that signify validity. My refrigerator would be an atrocity on "Cribs," it has food in it. No Crunk Juice or Crystal either. I am ~ a commoner. QUOTE]Quote from ktmexc20: Damn man, keep your racist poison to yourself. There's no place for it here. [/QUOTE]
And then there's this: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...460.story?coll=chi-newslocalnearnorthwest-hed Maybe we should pull the police out of there?