3,000 SAM's "missing" in Libya!

[ShotOne]

A recent report notes that 22,000 shoulder launched missiles including at least 3,000 surface to air missiles have gone missing in the chaos that is "free" Libya since our excellent work in toppling Gadhaffi. Many of these are now thought to be in the hands of groups affiliated to Al Qaeda. Great! At least our security authorities are fully engaged...in ensuring no pilots take cartons of yoghurt airside. Imagine how dangerous that might be!

[Ronald Reagan]

It was a fatal mistake removing him from power. We were certainly on the wrong side in that one. Some never learn though and wish to do the same in Syria. Our nations must have so much money they don't know what to do with it!!!!

[ShotOne]

As your namesake is quoted as saying, "don't just do something, ...stand there!"

I note that Tony Blair has written a Times article explaining why we must become involved in Syria....which if anyone was on the fence would confirm what a disastrous idea that is!

[Eclectic]

C&P: The Russians, who should know, reported months ago that the SA-24s sold to the Libyans included only the vehicle mounted launchers but not the launchers for shoulder firing.

[Pontius Navigator]

RR, as they say, all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Since WW2 how many 'despots' have been overthrown with our assistance and turned out as bad as their predecessors?

Cuba was a classic where we backed one side and the USA backed the other. The USA got what it wished for.

I know Clinton is said to have regretted doing nothing about genocide in Rwanda - genocide being the only UN mandated activity for which intervention in internal affairs of a State is permitted. Libya, Syria, Egypt, even Iraq were all internal civil wars outside the remit of the UN. In the case of Iraq the actions against the Kurds and others was probably enough to allow UN action at least as far as a resolution.

While Syria remains a civil war and insurrection we have no right to interfere.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Some, like Bliar, will claim that we have a 'moral duty' to intervene, but the ones doing the moralising are never the ones doing the intervening these days............unlike, say, the Spanish Civil War.

Perhaps Mr Bliar ought to pick up an AK-47 and head for a rebel stronghold if he feels that strongly - I'll bet there are many Syrian men of his age doing just that. Of course, having skived out of CCF at school, he'd probably pull the trigger holding it the wrong way round, which would do us all a favour.

[Roland Pulfrew]

F3WMB

Oh we so need one of those FB style 'Like' buttons on here; maybe an 'Approve' button to be a little less 'Mer'can'. :ok:

[Dak Man]

And today we have Wm. Hague saying this

'The equipment we have supplied so far is not arms, but we have no evidence that that has fallen into the wrong hands in any sense.' Arms for Syrian rebels won't fall into extremist hands, says William Hague | World news | guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/arms-syrian-rebels-william-hague)

Has he never heard the old chestnut that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence......??

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

And, of course, it's quite difficult to gather evidence with your hands over your eyes, thumbs in your ears shouting "la, la, la, I can't hear you".

[Dak Man]

No doubt WH only plans to arm the friendly extremeists, those that we've been training for the last year or so. I have a nagging suspicion that we've been here before. Perhaps WH should go hand the arms out personally, just to make sure.....

[oxenos]

3,000 SAM's "missing" in Libya!



They'll turn up.

[Not_a_boffin]

What I would really like to know is this.

We have a brand new shiny National Security Council. It's in the SDSR and everything.

So,

1. Who are these people that are telling Dave and Willy that this is a good idea?

2. What is their plan for ensuring a "good" outcome, where the nice, cuddly, secular resistance people form a pluralistic democratic society, while simultaneously :
a) persuading the notoriously well-balanced followers of the religion of peace that this is a good idea and not apostasy (you can guess the punishment)
b) militarily defeating a well supplied army (courtesy of that nice Mr Putin) and a heavily armed battle-hardened bunch of Hezbollah

They must be f8cking clever, cos I'm struggling to see it myself. That doesn't mean we should condone what Assad and his boys are doing in any way shape or form. Morally it is repugnant. But - the current plan doesn't look like any sort of way to support our national interests or security. Which brings us back to who is the genius behind it?

[Rosevidney1]

The whole affair is a clusterf*ck.

[racedo]

How dare you question your betters........................they went to Eton you know.

This should tell you all you need to know.................be afraid be very afraid.

[Al-bert]

I'm sure it will all be over by Christmas:cool:

[NutLoose]

Dare I say I sort of agree with the Daily Mail

DOMINIC SANDBROOK: William Hague's eagerness to intervene in Syria proves that, like many before him, he has fallen victim to the temptations of office | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2334072/DOMINIC-SANDBROOK-William-Hagues-eagerness-intervene-Syria-proves-like-fallen-victim-temptations-office.html)

Arms for Syrian rebels won't fall into extremist hands, says William Hague
Foreign secretary says no decision made to arm opposition to President Assad, but insists it can be done in containable way


What's he going to do get them to sign for them? :ugh:

He said it was possible to distinguish between the moderate and extreme elements of the opposition. "There certainly are extremists. The complexity of this situation is there's more than two sides and there is an opposition. I've had many meetings with opposition leaders who are not that type of opposition leader, who are sincere – in my view and the view of John Kerry and many other western foreign ministers – about their commitment to a future democracy in Syria, to dealing with the stockpiles of chemical weapons, to making sure that minorities are properly represented and not persecuted in Syria.

People will promise you the earth until you have armed them.... Am I the only one that thinks they are somewhat naive ?

Arms for Syrian rebels won't fall into extremist hands, says William Hague | World news | guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/arms-syrian-rebels-william-hague)

Time will tell.

[500N]

NutLoose

No, you are not the only one. One of the most naive comments
I have heard in years.

Wasn't it said that the only saving grace re the Stingers supplied to
the Afghan rebels all those years ago was that the batteries decayed
and no one was game enough to supply more to them.

[Flying Binghi]

via Al-bert
I'm sure it will all be over by Christmas


Very subtle Al-bert. Do they have Christmas in Libya..;)



:eek:.. see i'm in the wrong forum... hat, coat..........

[Dysonsphere]

Perhaps Mr Bliar ought to pick up an AK-47 and head for a rebel stronghold if he feels that strongly - I'll bet there are many Syrian men of his age doing just that. Of course, having skived out of CCF at school, he'd probably pull the trigger holding it the wrong way round, which would do us all a favour.

This assumes Mr Blair even knows how to load a mag let alone take the safety off.

[clicker]

Don't worry about that Dysonsphere, there's enough folk here to help B'Lair to load it. As for the safety catch we can "forget" that bit.