Ammunition found on some dead Taliban fighters is identical to that handed out to Afghan security forces, an investigation has found.
The finding has raised concern that arms given to the Afghan government by the West are finding their way into insurgents' arsenals.
Of 30 rifle magazines taken from dead fighters in eastern Afghanistan, at least 17 contained cartridges identical to those given to Afghan government forces by the US military.
There have been repeated concerns weapons and ammunition could be sold to insurgents by rogue officers in Afghanistan's poorly paid and notoriously corrupt police.
Earlier this year, the US congressional watchdog warned the 242,000 weapons shipped to Afghanistan in recent years "are at serious risk of theft or loss" because of inadequate records. The US Defence Department has full details of only a third of the weapons, the Government Accountability Office reported.
The New York Times examined ammunition captured last month by the US first battalion, 26th Infantry, during a night-time ambush in which 13 insurgents died in the Korangal Valley area near the Pakistan border.
Distinct manufacturers' markings on the widely used 7.62 ammunition showed 17 magazines had cartridges from either California-based Wolf Performance Ammunition or a former Czech government factory. Both suppliers now provide cartridges to the Afghan government and there is no suggestion the suppliers directly equip the insurgents.
James Bevan, an ammunition researcher for the Small Arms Survey, an independent research group in Geneva, said the similarities in manufacture and condition of the Taliban cartridges suggested they had come from government supplies.
He said interpreters, soldiers or police officers could have sold the cartridges for profit or through sympathy for the insurgents.
However a spokesman for the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, the American-led unit training and supplying Afghan forces, said while there was a possibility the ammunition had come from Afghan forces, it was impossible to confirm.
Lt Col Christian Kubik said ammunition could also have been seized by insurgents from overrun police stations or captured on the battlefield.
"We have not had any reports of ammunition being recovered that can be directly linked to us," he said.
He added: "Accountability of arms and weapons is a priority for us and we take it very seriously."

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When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.

You would think this would have been the foremost concern before equipping them. I mean, these people are willing to blow themselves up to harm even just one Us Soldier..what makes us think that they wouldn't go undercover as Aghan Security Forces in effort to get free weapons and ammo. Are we really that niave?

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Johnny B
Ship Date: 20090610
MOS: 25N - Nodal Network Systems Op./Maintainer
BCT/AIT: Ft. Knox, KY/Ft. Gordon, GA
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." -Sun Tzu

Its all about the highest bidder it would seem.....loyalty is bought and then sold depending on what day it is..

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When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.

Yeah, I agree. Especially in a country where its anything goes in terms of earning a living. Sometimes I wish we could fast-forward to the future to see if our efforts are in vain or not.

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Johnny B
Ship Date: 20090610
MOS: 25N - Nodal Network Systems Op./Maintainer
BCT/AIT: Ft. Knox, KY/Ft. Gordon, GA
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." -Sun Tzu

[url]http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2006/ammunition_plant/[/url]

pic #5

american companies sell directly to other countries. $$$$$$$

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"You realize that life goes fast, it's hard to make the good things last, you realize the sun doesn't go down, it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round." -Flaming Lips

Anybody watched "the international" yet....it relates to this subject

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The peasant bourgeoisie and their self righteous inclinations are the wests cancer!

Military officials, arms analysts and dealers say it points to a worrisome possibility — poor discipline and outright corruption among Afghan forces.

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Phoenix Lipo

We have been dodging American weapons in Iraq for over 6 years now. I can tell you for a fact that most of the IED's are manufactured with artillary (sp?) rounds that were provided to Iraq from the U.S. when Iraq was involved in thier war with Iran. I personally removed and helped destroy over 25,000 Arillary rounds and explosive material that was made in the good old USA. It seems as though that sooner or later we will learn that we need to be careful who we get in bed with. Because eventually we will have to deal with them. I dont know if any of you realize this but every country we have been to war with in the last 50 years we supplied them with the weapons that they use against us. IE: Panama, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan!