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- Investigation on Black Market Fate of CIA Weapons Raises New Questions
Weapons shipped to Jordan by the CIA and Saudi Arabia for use by Syrian rebels ended up on the black market, highlighting the dangers of the U.S. government’s decades-old program to arm and train foreign fighters, a new investigation published Monday by the New York Times and Al Jazeera reveals.
According to U.S. and Jordanian officials, millions of dollars worth of weapons including Kalashnikov rifles, mortars, and rocket grenades were systematically stolen by Jordanian intelligence officers in a massive scheme and sold to underground merchants. Some of those weapons were used in the November attack on a police training academy in Amman that killed five people, including two Americans, and injured seven others.
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The investigation reports:
Despite these damning revelations, the investigation omits a few key details, as national security expert Marcy Wheeler pointed out on Monday.
Referring to the Times and Al Jazeera as the “official press” of the U.S. and Qatar, Wheeler notes that the investigation used intel from U.S. and Jordanian government sources, and with help from Qatari officials, but without any input from Saudi Arabia—despite the Saudi government’s apparent awareness and concern about the issue.
Wheeler wote:
Meanwhile, the investigation notes that Timber Sycamore is run by U.S. and Saudi intelligence, but neglects to mention that Qatar is a “key player,” Wheeler wrote.
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