On Stinger Trail: Where Are They Now? : U.S. safeguards over this supply line have proven wholly inadequate

Without missing a beat, the 14-year-long war to overthrow communist rule in Afghanistan now threatens to evolve into an internecine conflict for control of the spoils. The competing militias have ample stockpiles to do battle, thanks to the earlier generosity of Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United States and to recent seizures of huge caches of government arms. There’s plenty available, then, to raise the level of destruction in an already battered country. That includes an unknown number of U.S.-supplied Stinger missiles, highly effective antiaircraft weapons.

The Stinger did much to turn the tide of battle against the communist forces. Before the militias were armed with it the Soviet and Afghan air forces were able to bomb and strafe their positions and defenseless villages virtually at will.

The Stinger proved to be a great equalizer, taking a heavy toll of Soviet attack planes and helicopter gunships and largely ending the effectiveness of low-level attacks.

The trouble is that the missiles didn’t always remain in the hands of those fighting in Afghanistan. By one means or another some found their way into Iran and the Persian Gulf sheikdom of Qatar. Some have reportedly become available on the international arms market.

The State Department says the United States wants the Stingers still held by the militias to be returned. Just how it would accomplish this reverse arms transfer it doesn’t say.

Equally unknown is how many missiles may still be out there, because U.S. officials aren’t sure about how many were fired by the guerrillas, nor, inexplicably, will they say how many were originally sent. This continued secrecy seems absurd. The communists have been vanquished in Afghanistan. Absolutely nothing is gained by remaining coy about the number of Stingers sent.

Private estimates are that at least several hundred Stingers were earmarked for militia forces. How many they retain and how many may have passed into other hands--including possibly those of terrorists and their supporters--is a matter of deep concern. It is horrifying to contemplate what the easily portable, shoulder-fired Stinger could do if launched against a low-flying civilian airliner.

The Stingers funneled to the Afghan rebels through Pakistan were a good idea at the time, for U.S. policy was right in supporting those fighting foreign domination over their country. What went wrong is that American safeguards over this supply line proved wholly inadequate, with the dangerous consequences that can now be seen. There is a stern lesson here for future arms transfers that dare not be ignored.