Are Lost U.S. Weapons In Enemy Hands?

Investigation Shows Missing U.S. Weapons May Have Turned Up In The Hands Of Iraqi Insurgents

(CBS)  Last month, a government report revealed the U.S. military could not account for 190,000 -- or 30 percent -- of all weapons issued to Iraqi Security Forces between June 2004 and December 2005.

Thursday, Pentagon officials said $88 billion in spending in Iraq and Afghanistan is now under audit by the Department of Defense for fraud.

Now, in his exclusive report CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian has learned some of those missing weapons have ended up in the worst possible hands.

CBS News has learned that the CIA has photographic evidence that Austrian-made Glocks intended for Iraqi security forces and paid for by U.S. taxpayers are now in the hands of Iraqi insurgents -- in numbers that the intelligence community believes are in the thousands.

According to an intelligence source, the U.S. contractor in charge of the Glocks somehow lost track of an entire shipment. That mysterious disappeance is now part of a massive military bribery investigation centered around a contracting office run out of a small trailer at a military base in Kuwait. Eighteen federal investigators are digging into the actions of dozens of high-ranking U.S officers and military contractors.

Thursday, at a House Armed Services Committee hearing, lawmakers took aim at what the chairman called "a culture of corruption" surrounding billions in Iraq war contracts, but stopped short of publicly saying where some of the weapons wound up.

"The number of folks who have enormous responsibilty to this country are involved has, I think, made this a real tragedy for our country,” says Duncan Hunter, the committee's ranking member.

After the hearing, Keteyian confronted Army Lt. General Ross Thompson, who admitted the Inspector General at the Defense of Department is looking at the CIA's evidence.

“We are going to report tonight that thousands of Glock pistols intended for Iraq security forces instead ended up in the hands of insurgents,” says Keteyian. “What is your reaction to that?"

“I don't know that for a fact,” Thompson says. “It is something that is being investigated by the DOD IG right now and that's something that is not within my responsibility or my area of expertise to comment on, but it is being actively investigated.”

As Congress prepares to send another $2 billion to the Iraq security forces, Dept. of Defense officials testified they are working to find better ways to maintain appropriate accountability and control over military material.

It’s small comfort to American soldiers in Iraq who may now be staring down the barrel of guns paid for by the U.S. government.

[mh4cbs1]

STOP the Blackwater Civilian-Killing Terrorists! Their most recent murder-spree, that has finally forced our corporate media to pay attention to it, is not by any means an isolated event. Read this, from ''The Nation'' magazine:

"Brigadier General Karl Horst, deputy commander of the 3rd Infantry Division said of private security contractors, %u201CThese guys run loose in this country and do stupid stuff. There%u2019s no authority over them, so you can%u2019t come down on them hard when they escalate force%u2026. They shoot people, and someone else has to deal with the aftermath. It happens all over the place.%u201D Horst tracked contractor conduct for a two month period in Baghdad and documented at least a dozen shootings of Iraqi civilians by contractors, resulting in six Iraqi deaths and the wounding of three others. That is just one General in one area of Iraq in just 60 days."

[mh4cbs1]

Remember 2000, when Bush was campaigning for President as "Compassionate Conservative".

Those were his first TWO LIES to the nation.

He is not compassionate, as he spends $500 Billion on a needless horrific war based on Lies, gives hundreds of billions in massive tax cuts to the filthy rich, then says $7 Billion per year to help poorer kids get health insurance either costs too much or would take profits away from mega-insurance-corporations (God forbid!)

He is NOT Conservative. Ron Paul is Conservative. Conservatives do not double the national debt to NINE TRILLION Dollars. Conservatives do not go on radical reckless Invasions, Hitler style (you know, based on LIES, FEAR, hyped fake-patriotic fervor, co-opted media that is nothgin more that flag-waving cheerleaders...)

[ioweign]

Whoever is responsible needs to go to jail!

Posted by USnotUN at 08:07 PM : Sep 22, 2007




The Shrub !!!

[usnotun]

This is what happens when politicians control guns. Only the bad guys have them.

Next time one of our politicians starts spouting off about "gun control", remind him or her about the foolishness of letting government control something as potentially dangerous as firearms.

Hopefully, somebody is going to jail. I''m tired of hearing some crooked politicians tell us that he takes responsibility, and that''s it. Whoever is responsible needs to go to jail!

[mcvet]

Oh, I get it now. The same Leftists who have no problem with Iran giving guns to Al Qaeda sudden;y care when a U.S. company is being accused...ok...got it.

www.conservativemusiconline.com


My music slaps The Left

Posted by conserva at 04:13 PM : Sep 22, 2007
+ report abuse

You pathetic Fascist, the CHAIRMAN of the committee investigating the missing weapons is a Democrat... if it were left to the fascist there would be no investigation. Now overlooking your stupid LIE about the weapons from Iran what do you say about OUR OWN Government arming the insurgency? No don''t bother, your to fascist to have an answer... sieg heil bush!!

[sftodd]

mogofalo -- you may very well have nailed it, but you really ought to dumb it down a bit -- sadly, those capable of understanding what you wrote are not the ones who need to hear it. Try this:

Haliburton planned this war for years so that your tax money would go directly into its pockets.

[ideologue]

Maybe a mercenary plutocratic predatory few both terrorize the many and offer protection in exchange for gold in a global shakedown of epic proportions that some call a war on terror. Maybe the goal of a war on terror is not to end terror, or to create security necessary for a lasting peace. Maybe the goal of a war on terror is to spread terror in war. Maybe by spreading terror in war, a mercenary plutocratic predatory few create greater demand in the global market place for the products and services of a beast of a military industrial complex. Maybe use of terror to create greater demand in the global market place for the products and services of a beast of a military industrial complex; generates greater profits from the sale and manufacture of these products and services; and further concentrates the wealth of the global culture into the hands of a mercenary plutocratic predatory few.

Source: http://www.4iam.info/Manifesto/lxxii.htm

[sftodd]

conserva - don''t you realize that the republicans you vote for would slam the door in your face if you ever tried to be one of their friends? They just appeal to your redneck emotions (guns, Jesus, hatred for ***, etc.) while they bend you over and screw you economically. On a certain level, it''s genius, but I can''t help feeling sorry for the poor rednecks who fall for the Republican scam. Do you think they hate the ***? Nope (they don''t care who you sleep with) - they just use it as a wedge issue to get poor uneducated people to vote for them, so they can make themselves richer while you don''t have pot to ___ in, but at least the *** are not marrying each other!

[socrates392]

Posted by gramto11 at 05:03 PM : Sep 22, 2007

I know how it is . . . Sometimes one of these guys says something so idiotic you just have to point out the error of their ways. I just wish he''d actually listen and internalize what you said! :)

[gramto7]

Yeah, what you don''''t understand is our friend conserva only makes posts here to sell his stupid music cd, which he is tooo stingy to advertise legally. I''''m sure he thinks all "A-rabs" are the same!

Posted by socrates392

Yeah, I do understand that. I reported him for it earlier today, but his statement in this ''ad'' just really got me.

[sftodd]

"www.conservativemusiconline.com

My music slaps The Left"

Yeah, that''s why you are the only one promoting it, ''cause it''s sooo good! You have a real future, no really, keep at it, I''m serious.

[socrates392]

Posted by gramto11 at 04:58 PM : Sep 22, 2007

Yeah, what you don''t understand is our friend conserva only makes posts here to sell his stupid music cd, which he is tooo stingy to advertise legally. I''m sure he thinks all "A-rabs" are the same!

[gramto7]

Oh, I get it now. The same Leftists who have no problem with Iran giving guns to Al Qaeda sudden;y care when a U.S. company is being accused...ok...got it...snip..
Posted by conserva

Why in the name of Allah would IRAN who is SHIA give arms to Al Qaeda who is SUNNI?? Makes no sense!

[usajoke]

This story should once again prove that America is run as an EVIL EMPIRE CONTROLLED BY A MINORITY OF REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS. AMERICA WILL ONLY HEAL ONCE THESE TWO PARTIES ARE OUSTED FROM THE POLITICAL SCENE. THE VOTERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS COUNTRYS DOWNFALL. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU APATHETIC, HEARTLESS, MORALESS, ETHICLESS, LAZY, NON-CARING, UNIFORMED, STUPID, UNEDUCATED AND AGENDA ORIENTED AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO DO NOT CARE ABOUT PROPER RESEARCH AND PROPER SELECTION OF ACTUAL CANDIDATES WHO WILL REPRESENT US AMERICANS IN AN HONEST AND ETHICAL MANNER. THIS COUNTRY IS BEGINNING TO FALL HARD. AGAIN, SHAME ON YOU REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC VOTERS. YOU ARE THE FRIGGIN'' PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM INVOLVED POLITICALLY AND I UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS, SO YOU BETTER LISTEN, THINK AND MAKE WISER CHOICES. OH, BY THE WAY, AN APOLOGY TO OUR ANCESTORS IS VERY NECESSARY AS THEY DESERVE THE ADULATION, WHERE AS, PRESENT DAY POLITICIANS DESERVE NOTHING BUT CRITICISM! PLEASE TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK WITHIN YOURSELF, YOUR PRIORITIES AND THE FUTURE OF YOUR DESCENDANTS. MAYBE NOW YOU WILL THINK DIFFERENT! THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND AND WHO ARE NOT MYRMIDONS!

[LocoDollar]

Once again to all American Kid''s, Plz Get a high GPA then a C

[kackermann-2009]

Why is it that Bush supporters can neither spell nor construct a coherent sentence?
There should be a basic skill test to log on here. I''m not saying this to weed out the dumb, I''m saying this to weed out the drooling idiots.

[toldyouso21]

Iraq does NOT have true sovereignty. If it did, no country could grant immunity to anyone while in another country (the host country has to do it) and no host country would keep people there who harms its own citizens --more than anything, what blackwater does and the fact America demands they remain (and Iraq must let them) means that Iraq is a puppet regime.

[waynabq]

Bush is such a *** and his followers are even more stupid. Don''t they realize that they''re supporting a Pro-Shiite, Pro-Iranian government in Iraq? At the same time, the Chimp and Cheney are threatening to bomb Iran? Does anyone with half a brain think the Soviets and the Chinese are going to stand idlely buy as Chimp bombs Iran?

Bush might go down as the greatest president in history, the greatest F**Kup that is. Its not beyond the realm of possiblity that Chimp might trigger WW-III. Everyone is standing with their thumbs up their respective behinds waiting for this to happen.

[myidoncbs]

A mercenary is the lowest form of life on this planet. Because a military draft to support this illegal and immoral war and occupation of Iraq would cause the people to rise up against the Bush Criminal Enterprise, and because the GOP thinks "privatization of all Government is a ''good'' thing", the Bushies have hired these sc-um to do their dirty work.

Turns out, the sc-um is more interested in making money than in serving their evil masters. The Blackwater thought process goes like this: "Who cares who gets the guns? As long as there are lots of guns, there will be lots of killing, and we have permanent job security, plus the cash from selling the guns! It''s a win-win situation!"

By selling guns to "the enemy", Blackwater has become "the enemy". They should all be sent to Guantanamo.

[waynabq]

"What a clusterf**k! It''''s just like everything else the little idiot has done. This people, is what happens when you put fool in the White House. And, anyone supporting him should hang their head in shame."

They would do us a lot more good if they just hung themselves.