More on the missing weapons investigation
Posted: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 6:59 PM by Sam Go
by Aram Roston, investigative producer
A U.S. law enforcement task force is investigating whether American military officials were involved in the disappearance of large numbers of weapons meant for Iraqi forces, sources confirm to NBC News. Investigators believe, sources say, that some weapons paid for by U.S. taxpayers were diverted and sold. Audits have already determined that more than 190,000 weapons are not accounted for.
Previously officials had argued this might have been due to bookkeeping errors rather than corruption necessarily. Some weapons meant for Iraqi security forces were found in Turkey, and investigators are trying to determine how they were diverted there. The New York Times first reported on the investigation this morning.
The investigation is potentially politically embarressing for General Petraeus, currently leading U.S. efforts in Iraq, because he himself oversaw the effort to arm and train Iraqi security forces when much of the equipment went missing. Sources say he is not implicated.
According to sources, investigators believe that potentially, a ring of corruption involving the missing weapons may have been connected to a massive bribery scheme in Kuwait for which a U.S. Army Major has already been indicted in Texas. U.S. Army Major John Cockerham was indicted in federal court, accused of accepting more than $9 million in bribes -- although the indictment mentions contracts for bottled water, and nothing about weapons.
American officals who were in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 tell NBC News there was chaos in the way weapons were distributed in Iraqi. Lt. Colonel David Styles tells NBC News he personally saw the disorder involved in Iraqi weapons distribution. "I saw an entire truckload of AK-47s delivered to Ministry of Defense and people swarmed over it like bees on honey." Styles said "Everone who wanted AK47s drove up and took what they wanted. It was a free for all." Styles, who was responsible for standing up an Iraqi Mechanized Brigade, says that he brought a logistics specialist for the Iraqi soldiers under his supervision. "I had them take serial numbers. The mechanized brigade I was responsible for.. . we did a serial number inventory."
Styles says he never saw corruption by U.S. officers but think it may have happened. "I wouldn't doubt it. There was so much going on there. If anyone had any integrity ssues I could see it happening."
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell says the DOD Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter is headed to Iraq. "He's going with an 18 member team to figure out is if there is an open wound. Are we still bleeding. How do I stop the blood flow?"
