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Post subject: Losing track of Iraqs' guns
 Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 11:42 AM
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Joined: Mar 25, 2003
Posts: 7573
Location: 221B Baker Street London
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Without getting political,Interesting, story.
As the Pentagon is accused by US auditors of losing track of 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to the Iraqi security forces, the BBC's Nick Childs considers what this means for US strategy.
Fears are rife of guns falling into the wrong hands .This report is particularly embarrassing for the Pentagon, in part because the plan to train and equip new Iraqi security forces has been so central to its strategy in the country.
And, while it has been alleged before that weapons bound for the Iraqis have gone missing, the numbers in this report are striking.
The report comes from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is an independent US government agency that is essentially the watchdog and investigative arm for the US Congress.
The GAO says that, of some of some 185,000 assault rifles and 170,000 pistols that the Pentagon says it supplied to the Iraqi security forces, it can account for less than half: there is a discrepancy of 110,000 in the case of AK-47s, and 80,000 pistols.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle ... 933569.stm |
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 04:40 PM
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Joined: Apr 14, 2004
Posts: 8400
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| All part of the same sorry pattern..... |
_________________
Yes we can!
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 04:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 12, 2005
Posts: 10561
Location: Never you mind where I'm at! You don't need to be knowing! Snoops!
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Seamus |
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 04:48 PM
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Joined: Feb 22, 2006
Posts: 1410
Location: Most likely not where you are!
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How do you ask can someone lose 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols?
All in a day's work for the Bush squad. |
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 05:13 PM
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Joined: Oct 26, 2002
Posts: 1138
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| greenchick wrote: | | All part of the same sorry pattern..... |
Ditto!!!! And not in a Rush Limbaugh kinda way!!!  |
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"Those Who Would Sacrifice Freedom For Temporary Security Deserve Neither" Ben Franklin
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free...It expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 08:38 PM
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Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: 1046
Location: St. Peters, Missouri
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| greenchick wrote: | | All part of the same sorry pattern..... |
Then allow me to ask this question........
If you, as a teacher(Pentagon), are responsible for 1,000 pencils(rifles) and you distribute those pencils to 1,000 students(Iraqi army/police) who are a part of a school population of 30,000(Iraq), what could you possibly do to prevent the loss, theft or breakage of those pencils?
It's a simple question that you seem to have an answer for. I know I don't. |
_________________
DaHjaj 'oH QaQ jaj Daq Hegh.
legh SoH Daq [Hades]
"Today is a good day to die.
See you in Hades."
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 09:23 PM
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Joined: Apr 14, 2004
Posts: 8400
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| Love your analogy old boy. Trouble is, if those pesky kids lose those pencils, nobody gets killed. If I had been issuing them with AK 47s, I think I would have been a little more careful! |
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Yes we can!
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 10:06 PM
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Joined: Nov 12, 2004
Posts: 9205
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| greenchick wrote: | | Love your analogy old boy. Trouble is, if those pesky kids lose those pencils, nobody gets killed. If I had been issuing them with AK 47s, I think I would have been a little more careful! |
You do know that pencils can be used as weapons. |
_________________
Knowledge is power....
but if used unwisely,
it will destroy you.
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 10:07 PM
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Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: 1046
Location: St. Peters, Missouri
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| greenchick wrote: | | Love your analogy old boy. Trouble is, if those pesky kids lose those pencils, nobody gets killed. If I had been issuing them with AK 47s, I think I would have been a little more careful! |
So your answer is that we give the Iraqi army and police force pencils to try and maintain order?
"STOP! You're going on report!"
Policeman hands an insurgent a slip of paper, "BANG! BANG! You're dead" |
_________________
DaHjaj 'oH QaQ jaj Daq Hegh.
legh SoH Daq [Hades]
"Today is a good day to die.
See you in Hades."
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 10:36 PM
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Joined: Apr 14, 2004
Posts: 8400
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| Look, the country is in a complete shambles. There was no plan for after the invasion. This is just one more cock up in a loooong line of cock ups. |
_________________
Yes we can!
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 11:00 PM
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Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: 1046
Location: St. Peters, Missouri
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| greenchick wrote: | | Look, the country is in a complete shambles. There was no plan for after the invasion. This is just one more cock up in a loooong line of cock ups. |
On topic......... In essence, you don't have an answer. This was just another excuse for you to expound upon the same old diatribe. Not that I expected any less. |
_________________
DaHjaj 'oH QaQ jaj Daq Hegh.
legh SoH Daq [Hades]
"Today is a good day to die.
See you in Hades."
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 08, 2007 - 11:48 PM
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Joined: Sep 18, 2004
Posts: 5199
Location: standing here shaking my head in disbelief....
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I might be missing something here, but my understanding is that the weapons went missing after they were given to the Iraqi Security Forces and not on the way to them? Am I getting that right?
So, in essence we gave some toys to the new kids, only to have the new kids lose them, or give them to other kids. Sounds like we can't trust the new kids........ 
So, we need to arm and train the Security Forces to protect themselves, so we can leave, but they can't, or won't protect themselves, and obviously many of them are corrupt. Rather a bummer......
It's easy enough to say that we should just leave. I'd be all for it, if it were that simple. But say every foreign troop pulled out immediately. Civil war ensues. And we all go right back in as "Peacekeeping Forces". Doing the same job under a different name. There has got to be a better option. 
Everyone sitting around crying over spilled milk doesn't get the milk cleaned up, nor does it feed the baby. Time to figure out some sort of long term solution for Iraq, that is truly best for the people of Iraq, and get everyone on board. Or, we could all just sit around and gripe and argue (by "we" I mean the forces that be, not "us"), and get nothing accomplished. It's a darn shame really that most political leaders in all countires, spend far more time worrying about their political career and power then they do about actually working together for good. |
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When you try to make others look small, you only show how truly tiny your own spirit is.
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dlvlady44 |
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Post subject:
Posted: Aug 09, 2007 - 03:02 AM
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Joined: May 19, 2007
Posts: 53
Status: Offline
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| The ones that got the guns ( Iraqi Security Forces ) more than likely sold them to the highest bidder. How about Iraq figuring out how to fix Iraq? Are they not adults. |
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