(Los Angeles Times) Ken Silverstein and Judy Pasternak - The availability of portable surface-to-air missiles, known as SAMs, on world markets is a growing concern to government officials. In February, the British government deployed 450 troops at London's Heathrow Airport after intelligence agencies reported a possible al Qaeda plan to use portable SAMs against civilian flights. Insurgent groups, which procure such weapons on the black market, have scored numerous successes with portable SAMs during the last few decades. A Defense Intelligence Agency study found reports of 29 portable SAM attacks on civilian aircraft between 1978 and 1998, with more than 400 fatalities. Twenty attacks were in Africa, four in Afghanistan, three elsewhere in Asia, and two in Central America.
2003-03-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive