At this point, there can be no doubt that the Bush administration supports the troops more than anyone. They give them training, they give them weapons, they give them explosives and body armor and money. The problem is that I’m referring to the insurgent troops.
The US has lost track of about 190,000 weapons issued to Iraqi security forces since the 2003 invasion, some of which will have ended up in the hands of insurgents, according to an official report published in Washington. Among the missing items are AK-47 rifles, pistols, body armour and helmets.
Keep in mind that there are approximately 160,000 troops in Iraq now, which means that we have lost more weapons than we have troops in Iraq. And did you catch that last part about the body armor? Well, guess how OUR troops are getting the body armor they need?
Still, she tried to remain supportive of her son and his fellow Marines. She helped organize a local bake sale that raised $4,000 for body armor to send over to Iraq.
At least the Bush administration supports SOMEBODY’S troops.
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August 6, 2007 at 10:37 pm
the question is how does 190,000 weapons come up missing and where do people hide 190,000 weapons?
September 19, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Just curious on the source of these statistics, and whether you know what the military procedures are for registering and tracking these weapons. Could it be that the military is more interested in getting weapons into the hands of those who need them for protection (and/or just aggression), than they are filling out paperwork with 20-digit serial numbers?
September 20, 2007 at 10:22 am
The source of the statistics is the GAO (Government Accountability Office). According to their report, the Pentagon “cannot fully account for about 110,000 AK-47 rifles, 80,000 pistols, 135,000 items of body armor and 115,000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces as of September 22 2005″.
And while the Pentagon (which says it accepted the GAO’s recommendations for improved accountability procedures and agrees that many of the weapons have likely found their way into the hands of insurgents) may argue that it was more concerned with putting weapons in Iraqi hands than in filling out paperwork to account for the equipment, that’s an insufficient excuse for losing track of such a large number of weapons, particularly when we are condemning Iran for providing weapons to Shi’a Death Squads and fueling the sectarian violence.
March 23, 2008 at 12:20 am
Jacquetta…
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world….