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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 5, 2003

SCHUMER, ISRAEL URGE PENTAGON TO BOOST BOUNTY FOR MISSING IRAQI SHOULDER-FIRED MISSILES

Bounty offered by Pentagon for a missing handheld missile in Iraq is only $500, pales in comparison to the $5,000 price a single missile can fetch on Iraqi black market

Only 1/3 of handheld missiles in Saddam's arsenal estimated to be recovered so far

In the wake of Sunday’s attack on a US helicopter in Iraq, US Senator Charles Schumer and Representative Steve Israel today urged the Pentagon to boost the bounty it offers to Iraqis handing shoulder-fired missiles over to the US military. Reports indicate that a shoulder-fired missile may have been the weapon responsible for the fatal crash of a Chinook helicopter over the weekend.

The lawmakers said the military's efforts to acquire handheld missiles floating around Iraq have been lagging, in part, because the $500 bounty the military reportedly offers pales in comparison to the $5,000 price that the missiles can fetch on the Iraqi black market. According to Pentagon officials, only a third of the estimated 5,000 shoulder-fired missiles in Saddam's arsenal have been recovered.

In a letter being sent to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld today, Schumer and Israel wrote that Sunday's attack is the latest example of how "limitations on the ability of our military to confiscate shoulder-fired missiles constitutes an ongoing security risk. ... We urge you to increase the reward being offered for the return of shoulder-fired missiles in Iraq. By increasing the reward to an amount that removes the financial incentive to sell these weapons on the black market, the Department of Defense can accelerate and improve its efforts to confiscate missing shoulder-fired missiles and can help to address a significant threat to national security."

This past weekend's attack follows a spate of attacks with handheld missiles in Iraq. A flurry of shoulder-fired missile attacks against coalition warplanes led the Red Cross to stop flights into Baghdad, and the United Nations, which had been using civilian aircraft, is now operating military C-130 transports equipped with missile countermeasures. At least 19 missiles have been launched against coalition aircraft since May.

There are as many as 3,700 to 10,000 handheld missiles from Saddam's arsenal that remain unaccounted for in Iraq despite the efforts to collect them. The missiles can be sold on the black market for a far higher price – some reports say $5,000 for a single one – than the $500 reward reportedly being offered by the military for each missile, making it unlikely that all the missiles will be recovered.

To date, the military has acquired at least 317 missiles and has reportedly seized hundreds more. The military's efforts have been complicated by the fact that it lacks records of what was in Saddam's arsenal before the war. With no records detailing precisely how many missiles were in the arsenal originally, Schumer said there is no foolproof way to gauge the success of the effort to acquire the shoulder-fired missiles.

Schumer said the need to collect these weapons is especially urgent because of the threat they pose to commercial aircraft in the US. "If the black market is buying up these handheld missiles, it stands to reason that it's only a matter of time before a terrorists succeeds in smuggling one into the US and tries to take out a jetliner. We can't afford to let that happen," he said.

In an effort to ensure that the US commercial airliners are protected, Schumer, Israel and Senator Barbara Boxer have introduced legislation to outfit planes in the United States with anti-missile technology. The legislation would authorize the cost of retrofitting the 6,800 commercial jets in the US commercial fleet.

There are two main types of shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles: the US-made Stinger and Russian-made SA-7 Strela. Both are about five feet long and weigh less than 40 pounds making them highly mobile. Each has a range of over three miles and uses a heat-seeking infrared guidance system to hone in on targets. In addition to their mobility and range, these anti-aircraft weapons are dangerous because they require little training in order to use.

For a copy of the letter Schumer and Israel sent to Rumsfeld click here.

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