Al Qaeda may capture Khadhafi's weapons stockpiles, say lawmakers

by: jim kouri | published: 09 11, 2011

As the American people prepare to honor those who died at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists on the 9-11 Tenth Anniversay, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee warned that the U.S. must make certain Libya dictator Moamar Khadhafi's stockpiles of weapons don't end up in the hands of terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.

Rogers appeared on the CNN news with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

“And I'm not talking about boots on the ground or big military. We need to use our special capabilities that really only the United States has to secure, account for those weapons and render them safe. And we need to do it now,” he added.

“I will tell you al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations identified by the State are very interested in getting their hands on those missile systems, other weapons, even the chemical stockpile precursors,” cautioned Rogers.

Lieberman added that the U.S. officials are working with the Libyan rebels to make certain the weapons stockpiles are secured. “We're working with them to try to secure both the mustard gas and the munitions that I worry would fall otherwise in the hand of enemies of the U.S., including terrorists,” Lieberman said.

Rogers also said Libya's transition government needed to avoid the same kind of mistakes that were made in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein: mistakes such as dismissing all of their military and their intelligence apparatus. They need to co-opt some of that in the next few weeks, Rogers stated.

The lawmakers also claimes federal government made much progress in fighting terrorism and said that Americans are “safer” a decade after the attacks on September 11, 2001.

“I believe we are safer, but there are still plenty of folks that get up every single morning with the sole intention of planning, conducting, financing an operation against the United States of America,” said Rogers.

“I don't think anybody on September 12, 2001, would have predicted in the following ten years there would not be another major terrorist attack on the homeland, and there has not been,” he added. “We’re still in a war … tragically it’s going to go on for a while, but we are a lot safer.”

add a comment