US officials have warned the various oil companies in Northern Africa to be on the lookout for shoulder-launched missiles, saying that al-Qaeda is planning to possible launch some missiles either at an oil company headquarters or some plane.
The announcement comes as the US announces that it is sending several additional “weapons experts” to Libya to help the rebels locate and destroy the weapons in the Gadhafi regime’s arsenal, including an estimated 20,000 shoulder-launched missiles.
Officials have been concerned about this for awhile, but the reality is that much like Libya’s black population, the weapons are long gone, having been looted one carload at a time by weapons smugglers-to-be, leaving little but empty boxes and packing lists to indicate anything of value had ever been there.
The White House is playing up the importance of American forces on the ground in Libya, saying it is vital that they secure the nation’s WMDs. Exactly how much of those even remain in the country is unclear, but there have been few reports of large scale looting of them.
way to create the problem….
No boots on the ground…except, they say, to hunt down those disappeared munitions…they say. I have no doubts that there are now (and have been) US troops on the ground there. As for the absconded munitions…well, it's a convenient message to instill fear and further the designs of those who would want us to continue in fear. Not saying they haven't disappeared…just wondering who has them.
With the USG/Military constantly prevaricating and the complicity of an lazy and uninquisitive press corp we will never know the truth of the wars that plague us now – and evermore.
Who says the USG/Military never learned anything from Viet Nam?
Hm, okay first of all, shoulder-fired missiles of any kind are not Weapons of Mass Destruction by any sane definition.
Second, does Libya possess nuclear weapons? No? Then they do not possess Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Chemical weapons are, by their very nature, not practical for large-scale use- even by modern military forces, much less a home-grown terror outfit. They require storage in pretty strict conditions, and even then most of them are not stable enough to remain effective for very long after manufacture. Even employing them requires particular methods of dispensing, depending on the agent being used, and many are only effective during certain times of the day ASSUMING the temperature and prevailing winds are correct.
Biological weapons? Ditto for the above, with the addition that while some are easier to disperse than chemical weapons, they must also be handled with strict precautions and released in even narrower conditions to be effective. Manufacturing is an entirely different proposition.
The moral of the story is you're being lied to when anyone claims chemical or biological weapons are Weapons of Mass Destruction- they are not, and never have been even when properly used full-strength in combat. They are very fickle weapons, subject to strict requirements, and very limited in their employment and capabilities.
Sgt. US Army '85-'92 – Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons Specialist.