Asagrar proliferation threatens Libya

Spread of weapons everywhere in Libya, both among boys waving Kalashnikov rifles in the streets of Tripoli or between combatants equipped with rocket launchers on the fronts.
And raises the high prevalence of weapons in the hands of the Libyans concerns not only focused on the impact of this issue on the stability of Libya in the future, but also the possibility that the weapons in the hands of extremist organizations, including al Qaeda.
On site residential under construction in one of the suburbs of Tripoli, and placed on the ground, boxes of ammunition and weapons and bombs, note that this site turned into a destination for thousands of people who poured it for five days after the fall of Tripoli, the end of August to get the weapons.
Said Imad (25 years) resident in Tripoli, "there were hundreds of boxes containing everything: machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades and ammunition."
He added: "There were thousands of people here, too. Some of them took one machine gun, as did I, and others took two or three or more so that the others have stayed here for days carrying weapons in trucks."
This site is one of several other sites in Tripoli for the storage of weapons belonging to the forces Muammar Gaddafi, had been looted after the rebels control of the Libyan capital.
Imad explains that the entry of these sites and stores were allowed for all and without control over the people who were leaving a facility loaded with weapons.
Residents say in Tripoli that the weapons are now in hand on the black market, where the price of a Kalashnikov rifle is about $ 650, and the bomb about 80 dollars, while one bullet sold for less than a dollar.
Imad indicates that "every person in Tripoli, has had its own machine guns and at least one now," stressing that "people will not give up such weapons certainly, there is freedom now."
And reached many weapons to the hands of Libyan fighters Transitional National Council, who are still fighting on two fronts of the cities of Sirte and Bani Walid.
But Tripoli is also flooded with arms, where young men roam the streets armed with machine guns and rocket launchers are supervising them at checkpoints set up by the rebels around the capital.
In the evening, the sky ignites Tripoli dead, called to celebrate the rebels control of the city from which he fled Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades of his rule the country with an iron fist.
The Western governments, especially the U.S. government, has expressed concern about the proliferation of weapons in Libya.
The Ministry of Foreign three million U.S. dollars to help destroy weapons and spoke in particular about fear of the spread of machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons, which could target a civilian aircraft.

Shashank Joshi, says a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said "everyone worried, stocks of weapons in Libya, according to some figures exceeded those that existed in Iraq in 2003."
He adds that he "has stolen thousands of rockets fired from the shoulder in addition to small arms and ammunition."
He said the main danger lies "that the missile find its way to the terrorists in other areas such as Afghanistan, or that used by terrorists against civilian aircraft."

Analysts say that the weapons will be hard for the new authorities in Libya establish a presence in the country, even after the guerrillas controlled the transition to the last strongholds of al-Qadhafi.
According to Karim Bitar, a researcher at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations in Paris that he "would be difficult for the new authorities to collect all arms, and will pass a long time before we see a central authority for the Libyan claim to a monopoly on legitimate gun."
He explains that "many of the rebels took up arms to liberate their cities, and will not give up these weapons even quite sure of the figures who will rule and get strong guarantees."