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U.S. Expands Estimate of Missing Anti-Aircraft Missiles

(New York Times) Douglas Jehl and David E. Sanger - American intelligence agencies say 6,000 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile systems are believed to be at large worldwide, since determining that at least 4,000 of the weapons in Iraq's prewar arsenals cannot be accounted for, government officials said Friday. Shoulder-fired missiles are attractive weapons for terrorists. In recent months, Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned that al-Qaeda intends to use them to shoot down planes. In 2002, attackers who launched two Russian-made SA-7 missiles almost hit an Israeli commercial aircraft taking off from Mombasa, Kenya. Secretary of State Powell said last fall, "no threat is more serious to aviation" than the shoulder-fired missiles, which can be bought on the black market for as little as $5,000. More than 40 aircraft have been struck by shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles since the 1970s, causing at least 24 crashes and more than 600 deaths worldwide, according to a State Department estimate. In Iraq, the missiles have been used in more than a dozen attacks on American planes and helicopters.
2004-11-08 00:00:00
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