Saddam's Arsenal Could Destabilize Mideast

[Khephra]

GENEVA -- The huge numbers of small arms left behind by Iraq's armed forces after the fall of Saddam Hussein could cause instability in the Middle East for years to come, according to a study published Wednesday.

"Millions of firearms suddenly flooded a chaotic social landscape," the 335-page Small Arms Survey said. The number of murders using firearms in Baghdad rose dramatically and "the violence became a major barrier to the restoration of legitimate authority."

The Iraqi people currently control an estimated 7-8 million firearms, although the actual number could be much higher, the study said. This makes Iraq "highly but not exceptionally well armed," and it still has fewer firearms per person than countries such as Finland.

"The concern here ... is we do not know what proportion of these weapons are military style," Keith Krause, the program director for the survey, told reporters. "Iraq now poses a regional proliferation risk."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-small-arms,0,450064.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

[Justice]

1. Is This The Stuff That Shoshana Johnson Said They Walked By On

the march to Bagdad? She said on Larry King that she thought it was a mistake to not blow up the ammunitions dumps they came across on their way to Bagdad.

[Khephra]

3. I think so...that's what I took the weapons to be

[Spinzonner]

4. What, she's questioning Rumsfeld's brilliant plans ?

She should be shot for such heresy

[Tempest]

9. Soldier's stories

I've read stories from soldiers where they would come across the weapons caches on the way to Baghdad and were told by superiors to leave them behind.

Apparently, Bush forgot to include explosive experts with the troops who could handle the blowing up of the caches and the superiors didn't want to endanger their troops with the job.

[seemslikeadream]

2. "Iraq now poses a regional proliferation risk."

oh yes we are much safer now that that bad man is gone.

[BiggJawn]

5. Bad news for the Chinese....

Darn, 7-8 million used AK-47's flooding the market, instead of a demand for 7-8 million NEW Chinese-made AK's....

Whatever will we DO to help our "Favourite Trading Partner?"

[cthrumatrix]

6. Who is responsible for this? Case closed.

[Wright Patman]

7. This is yet another illustration

of why the gun issue is a political loser. This last year has witnessed Republicans advocating a policy of going door-to-door in Iraq confiscating weapons, a scenario I never would have believed possible and a scenario which they have always used to scare Southerners into voting against the eee-vull lib'ruls who are supposedly just itching to do the same thing to them. Bill Clinton himself blamed the Democrats' loss of the Congress in 1994 on this GOP tactic.

OTOH, the failure of the "coalition" to stabilize Iraq is a direct result of not only not enough troops being deployed, but also the Iraqis being extremely well-armed.

Gun control advocates always say guns are useless against tanks. That's right, but artillery shells made into explosives have proven fairly effective. And the U.S. never had enough armor (which was and is the only relatively safe place to be) deployed to ever pull off the door-to-door scenario to begin with.

So what we saw in April was, in a criminal spasm of frustration, a mini-air war resumed against Falluja resulting in the deaths of hundreds of women and children. At that point, all U.S. military personnel were wishing that an Iraqi version of Sarah Brady had already disarmed the Iraqis.

[struggle4progress]

8. This certainly explains those high US and Iraqi casualties ...

after the end of "major operations," and the uncontrolled munition dump issue really hit front pages last summer, when the UN mission was attacked.

I think the Bushistas might have planned this, making conscious decisions leading Iraq towards violence and instability, so as to have pretext for an indefinite US presence. :grr:

[oneighty]

10. This is no cause for concern

as guns do not kill people, people kill people. Now ain't that the Gods' own truth Eddie?

180

[denverbill]

12. Yes, all those guns makes Iraq safer, right?

I mean, if everyone in America walked around with a pistol hanging from their belt, crime would vanish. There would be no more murder, assault, etc. It would be paradise.

[oneighty]

13. Yes indeed Denver Bill

Policemans no longer be needed. Every man woman child be peacekeeper unto him/her self. Just like olden times. Yipeeeeee!

180

[bemildred]

11. The liberation of Baghdad is not far away

...

The attacks are meticulously prepared. They must not last longer
than 20 minutes and we operate preferably at night or very early
in the morning to limit the risks of hitting Iraqi civilians."
They anticipate our next question: "No, we don't have weapons of
mass destruction. On the other hand, we have more than 50 million
conventional weapons." By the initiative of Saddam, a real
arsenal was concealed all over Iraq way before the beginning of
the war. No heavy artillery, no tanks, no helicopters, but
Katyushas, mortars (which the Iraqis call haoun), anti-tank
mines, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other Russian-made

rocket launchers, missiles, AK 47s and substantial reserves of
all sorts of ammunition. And the list is far from being
extensive.

But the most efficient weapon remains the Kamikazes. A special
unit, composed of 90% Iraqis and 10% foreign fighters, with more
than 5,000 solidly-trained men and women, they need no more than
a verbal order to drive a vehicle loaded with explosives.

What if the weapons' reserves dwindle? "No worries, for some time
we have been making our own weapons." That's all they are willing
to disclose.

...

DU --> AsiaTimes

[kentuck]

14. Guns don't kill people ??

What's the problem??