It's no secret that the US has a long and storied past when it comes to running guns illegally, and subsequently completely losing control of them. In its most recent debacle, a joint investigation by the New York Times and Al Jazeera has revealed that millions of dollars worth of weapons sent by the CIA and Saudi Arabia to Jordan intended for Syrian rebels was stolen by Jordanian intelligence officials and sold on the black market.
In a separate scheme than was administered by the Pentagon, the CIA-run program code named Timber Sycamore reportedly began in 2013, and the plan called for large shipments of CIA and Saudi arms including Kalashnikov assault rifles, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades to be delivered to Jordan, where Jordanian intelligence would then finish the job and deliver the arms to Syrian rebels. While the budget for the program remains classified, it was learned that the biggest contributors to the program included the US and Saudi Arabia, along with other US allies in the region.
As mentioned, following the delivery to Jordan, the CIA relied upon the General Intelligence Directorate to transport the weapons to Syrian rebels, however often times the weapons disappeared midway. As RT reports, Jordanian officials told the publications that the theft was apparently perpetrated by officers with direct access to cargo, who "regularly siphoned truckloads" of weapons while still delivering some to the designated drop-off's.
The stolen weapons were then sold on the black market in Jordan, and those involved in the scheme worth millions of dollars, used the profits to purchase expensive SUVs, electronics, and other luxury goods. Unfortunately, as was the case in Operation Fast and Furious (and presumably countless other operations), it is also believed that some of the stolen weapons were used to kill two Americans and three others at a police training facility shooting in Amman in November.
The investigation also revealed that senior Jordanian officers had knowledge of the theft and – surprise, surprise – systematically covered up for the lower ranking officers that did the actual smuggling. Only after the Americans and Saudi's started to complain of the theft did the Jordanian intelligence agency allegedly arrest several dozen officers, including a lieutenant colonel running the operation. According to Jordanian officials, a number of the officers were fired from the service but were allowed to keep their pensions and profits from the scheme.
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Alas, don't ever be concerned that America isn't exporting, as those official military exports are understated by the number of gun running operations that are being done behind the scenes – rest assured that Made In The USA stamp is on weapons being used by everyone around the globe.
Also let's not forget that it is absolutely no surprise that the Saudi's are in bed with the US in this effort, as it is the Saudi's who may be truly calling the shots at the end of the day when it comes to what ultimately happens in Syria.
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