Nicaragua destroyed 333 anti-aircraft missiles Thursday, further paring down a stockpile that had previously been estimated at about 2,000 missiles left over from the 1980s Contra war. The U.S. government has long urged Nicaragua to destroy all of the SA-7 shoulder-fired missiles, expressing concern they could fall into the hands of terrorists. The Nicaraguan Army said it had destroyed the weapons "in order to achieve a reasonable balance of forces and promote stability, confidence and transparency in the region." The army destroyed about the same number of missiles in May and says it wants to hang on to only about 400 of the missiles, arguing they are needed to offset neighboring Honduras' military capabilities. Honduras and Nicaragua have become embroiled in a border dispute in recent years.
| Just wait til one of 'em starts another war over a soccer match. |
Nicaragua had previously suggested it would eliminate all of its remaining Sam-7 surface-to-air missiles in exchange for planes and radar modules from the U.S. military. The U.S. government has not made any offer, but Nicaraguan officials estimate they would need aid of about $80 million. The leftist Sandinista government, which ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1989, obtained the missiles from the Soviet Union to fight off U.S.-backed Contra rebels. |