U.S. military searching for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles in Afghanistan

The U.S. military said Monday it is on the lookout for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles in Afghanistan but so far there are no signs that the highly accurate weapons are in the insurgency-wracked country.

Photo: U.S. military searching for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles in Afghanistan

U.S. military searching for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles in Afghanistan

The comment by U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts came after media reports that the Taliban have acquired new battery packs to be fitted to old Stingers supplied by the U.S. to mujahedeen rebels fighting Soviet occupying forces in the 1980s.

If the reports are confirmed, it would represent a disturbing new threat to aircraft in the region, especially those used by the U.S.-led coalition and a separate NATO-led peacekeeping force.

"When it comes to the Stinger missile ... we are constantly looking at that from an intelligence perspective to see if there are relevant and actionable intelligence that show us that those have arrived in the theater," Yonts told reporters in Kabul.

"Right now we have nothing to show any indications that they are in theater at this time."

He said that if the Stingers were brought into Afghanistan they would be a "dangerous threat" to both military and civilian aircraft.

The mujahedeen used the missiles to great effect against Soviet helicopters and airplanes and the weapon is credited with playing a large part in forcing the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, reports the AP.

I.L.