Sharyl Attkisson: Thousands of Libyan missiles unaccounted for
https://twitter.com/Political_Moose/status/315202752491950082
The night of Sept. 11, 2012 proved just how dangerous a place Benghazi, Libya can be to Americans, but the long-term danger posed by thousands of shoulder-fired missiles is worth considering as well. CBS News’ Sharyl Attkisson, one of few mainstream reporters to stick with the Benghazi investigation, has published a new report detailing the search for thousands of “man-portable air-defense systems,” or MANPADS, left over from the Qaddafi regime.
CBS Attkisson: (Part of) why the US was in Benghazi: Libyan missiles MIA cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-5…
— Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) March 22, 2013
Attkisson writes:
Before his overthrow and death in the fall of 2011, Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi was believed to have purchased 15,000-20,000 Soviet MANPADS. Concern over the whereabouts of the missiles – and the possibility that terrorists could buy them on the black market and even use them to shoot down American passenger jets – drove a U.S. effort to recover as many as possible. But only about 2,000 were accounted for prior to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on Benghazi, Libya, according to the source.
@sharylattkisson @cbsnews Good work. Has to raise the question – Were we afraid to send in help in fear of getting our planes shot down?
— Wade Daugherty (@waderic4) March 22, 2013
@sharylattkisson This is unbelievable. All those MANPADS must be somewhere by now & that’s the scary truth to it.
— Alexander Romano CBS (@alexromano) March 22, 2013
@sharylattkisson Great article, but certainly illustrates lack of planning when Obama took Ghadafi out.There’s much more to this!
— Cherie (@timchert) March 22, 2013
Who would have expected something like this to bloom from the much-praised “Arab Spring”?
@sharylattkisson@glennbeck said this a day or so after event.Your work on this story has been solid and important digging up even more.
— Formerly Scooter_NJ (@Scooter_Texas) March 22, 2013
Keep in mind that much of this is speculation, and Attkisson quotes CBS News national security consultant Juan Zarate as saying, “I don’t think we should be alarmist without more specific data, but this has always been a concern for civil aviation.” There’s no question, though, that Attkisson is one journalist well worth following.
You should #FF @sharylattkisson for real reporting on #Benghazi. #tcot
— Moxie Mom (@moxiemom) March 22, 2013
