The Obama administration is debating how aggressively to pursue Libya’s vast weapons stockpiles, including tons of caustic mustard agent and thousands of anti-aircraft rockets that some fear could fall into the hands of terrorists or Libyan loyalists. Their concern is that the rockets in particular may be sold, ending up in the hands of al-Qaida or fueling a Libyan insurgency.
The State Department wants to wait for fighting to drawdown before moving into Libya to locate and secure Libya’s weapons. It’s also arguing for working through the Libyan rebel government. On the other side, some U.S. intelligence officials have been pushing to expand the CIA’s role in Libya to track down the weaponry faster, unilaterally and without the rebels.
Despite public denials that the US will put troops on the ground, the Obama administration already has the CIA in small teams of officers, backed by mercenary contractors helping to guide Libyan rebel fighters. Since the CIA teams are operating covertly, they are absolved of the restrictions under the U.N.-sanctioned mission to protect civilians in Libya.
Military advisers from Britain, France, Italy and Qatar are also on the ground advising rebels and NATO bombers on the whereabouts of the enemy.
The US and NATO have been concerned about the weapons stockpiles for some time now, which serves to highlight their lack of confidence in the amateurish Libyan rebel council and its loosely affiliated disparate gangs, despite having launched them into ruling a post-Gadhafi Libya.
Given the 'Rebel' connection with Al-Qaeda and other rather unsavory outfits, I doubt very seriously Obama is concerned about chemical weapons and SAMs 'falling into the hands of Gadhafi loyalists'. He's more concerned about those weapons not turning up in the hands of anyone who opposes us, period. That might- just might- expand to include the growing list of less-than-saintly operators known to have associations with the 'rebels'. Say the 'loyalists' DID get their hands on a stockpile of SAMs- who are they going to shoot with them? The Libyan air force is all but destroyed, and the chemical weapons (which hardly qualify as WMD, but anyway) need specialised equipment and handlers to emply them effectively- IF they are even still viable.
Looking for the stuff has NOTHING to do with securing Libyan security- and EVERYTHING to do with covering our own keesters when the shooting starts next time. From a military point of view, it's probably a very good move to make the effort to locate those weapons, but let's be honest about the reason we're doing it.
I do have to wonder, though- with so many SAMs sitting around in crates…. why didn't anyone use them in any effective numbers against NATO aircraft? 20K Stingers can put a lot of planes in the hangar permanently, so why didn't they use them when they had the opportunity?
The naive libyan royalists did ZATO a big favor and are going to be very sorry about this blunder. They sold their soul to the devil. Libya is going to be the next Iraq or Afghanistan. Get ready for the bloody insurgency, the suicide bombings, kidnappings and other nasty things. That’s going to happen so that NATO/US can use it as an excuse to deploy troops and build mega bases in Libya. And once they come in they won’t go out so easily.
It's one big game of chess. I would suggest that this was the plan from day one.
1st step arm and support the rebels.
2nd step whisper in their ears how bad Gadaffi is and how they should be free and in charge.
3rd step bomb the snot out of the government and crush them
4th step anarchy
5th step claim WMD's are on the loose
6th step bridghead to Africa
Wait a minute, didn't G. Bushco declare about awhile back that Libya had disarmed and did NOT oh no not anymore, have nasty weapons that might be considered weapons of mass blah blah blah? I'm thinking that old G. Bushco said EXACTLY that. You know, back in a day when Libya gots brought back in from the cold and received a warmer as warm can be welcome into the open arms of 'western civiliztion'. Well, Libya and Mooey Qadaffi did. Oh yes.
But, somewhere along those ever shifting lines of "humanitarian intervention" those non-existent wmd's must have re-materialized out of thin air and now oh holy creeping destructo-worrying, they're back! CIA gots to blunder into the dark dank regions of nefarious Libya and pull those mystery weapons out of (redacted eyes only top secretly secrets viewing) ASS!
What does the CIA's got to do with Lybia!!! Let these people earn their revolution, for crying outloud. There is a huge gap between giving a hand and going in to put our dirty hands into the arms stockpile in the name of AL-QUAIDA who is dead, OBL's head has rolled down, so let's stop talking about this rutting moron, who doesn't deserve to be remembered in any shape or form. Let's not feed his wish to die as martyr, this sgum bag is vanished and thanks Mr. President!!!! Gadhafi is another kind of sgum bag and will be soon forgotten (gone with the wind) – insignificant!! what ever was pile up by this stinky dictator should go back to its people. Let's support them and respect what is theirs. Point blank!
CIA? Don't you mean Drones 'R US? Like any good corporation, they are always keen to open and exploit new markets.
I'd be worried they fall into the hands of Libya's new "leaders"/rebels up to two days ago. And how come this is the job of the CIA? Can't the brilliant and so effective NATO finish what they started and do it right?