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U.S. says it finds 5,000 missiles in post-Gadhafi Libya
U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner refuses to confirm rumors that the U.S. seeks to buy back weapons that may have been looted from open stockpiles, according to an AFP report. U.S. experts sent to Libya to recover weapons left over by fallen leader Muammar Gadhafi found 5,000 surface-to-air missiles, the U.S. State Department reportedly said Friday. According to a report by AFP, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said the exact number is difficult to say, for there was no actual inventory and a number were destroyed by NATO air strikes this year. Toner reportedly said the U.S. supports the current Libyan government's efforts to restore order in the north African nation. "We support the Libyan government as it works on this... to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate the militias. It's clearly a high priority for them," he reportedly said. AFP added that, according to Toner, the U.S. State Department was still in the process of evaluating how many missiles existed in Libya, which could pose a danger to civilian aircraft. It added that Toner refused to confirm rumors that the U.S. was seeking to buy back some of the weapons that may have been looted from open stockpiles during the chaos of the Arab Spring fighting. On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council was reassured that none of Libya's nuclear materials had gone missing and there appeared no risk of arms proliferation in the country. Posted by: tipper 2011-12-24 |
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