(S/NF) ROYG DESTROYS BLACK MARKET MANPADS

S E C R E T SANAA 001403

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP AMACDONALD AND PM/WRA SPICO AND
SCOSTNER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL PTER MASS YM
SUBJECT: (S/NF) ROYG DESTROYS BLACK MARKET MANPADS

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen Seche for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY. On July 27, PolOffs verified the
destruction of 102 MANPADS acquired from the Yemeni black
market by the National Security Bureau (NSB). This brings
the total number of black market MANPADS destroyed through
US-ROYG cooperation to 1,263. END SUMMARY.

BACKGROUND
--------------


2. (S/NF) Yemen is a critical source of MANPADS
proliferation. Years of uncontrolled weapons imports and the
chaos of the 1994 civil war made MANPADS widely available on
the illicit arms market in Yemen. (Note: MANPADS that were
used in al-Qaeda (AQ) operations in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, and
Yemen in 2001 and 2002 were traced to official Yemeni stocks.
End Note.) In 2003, the National Security Bureau (NSB)
began collecting MANPADS from weapons souks throughout the
country. In 2004, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the
ROYG signed a bilateral grant agreement on the joint
implementation of a program to eliminate MANPADS from the
Yemeni black market. As a result of this program, 1,161
MANPADS were destroyed in February 2005.


3. (S/NF) Ongoing US-ROYG cooperation has since resulted in
the NSB's acquisition of an additional 102 MANPADS, 40
gripstocks, and 51 batteries. After the February 2005
destruction, 35 MANPADS were collected and disabled during
that year. For the following three years, less than a dozen
MANPADS were acquired each year. However, after the USG
agreed in July 2008 to increase the price for black market
MANPADS, the NSB was able to aquire 41 black market MANPADS
in less than a year, bringing the total acquired since
February 2005 to 102. Most of the 102 MANPADS are SA-7s and
SA-14s, with two SA-16s.

DESTRUCTION DAY
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4. (S/NF) On July 27, PolOffs traveled to a military base in
Wadi Halhalan (Ma'rib governorate) to observe the MANPADS
destruction. They were accompanied by NSB Deputy Director
Ammar Saleh and NSB official Colonel Akram al-Qassmi, the
main points of contact on the MANPADS acquisition and
destruction program. Prior to PolOffs' arrival, EOD
technicians from the Yemeni Mine Action Center (YEMAC) had
arranged the missiles with explosives in two separate pits.
PolOffs verified that each pit contained exactly 51 missiles,
for a total of 102. PolOffs photographed the missiles in
both pits; from the photos it can be confirmed that each pit
contains 51 missiles. Because the MANPADS had already been
stacked and covered with explosives, serial numbers were
visible on only a few of the upper-most missiles. PolOffs
confirmed that three of the visible serial numbers coincided
with those of missiles previously viewed and disabled by
EmbOffs. Qassmi presented a complete list of serial numbers
corresponding to the MANPADS contained in the pit, which
PolOff signed. PolOffs then drove across the plain to a
makeshift tent, from where they observed the destruction.
The MANPADS were destroyed in two consecutive explosions that
were detonated at approximately 12:45 hours. PolOffs took
videos of the explosions as further verification.

COMMENT
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5. (S/NF) U.S. officials have been pressing the ROYG for
several years to destroy the black market MANPADS acquired
since February 2005. USG delays in transferring funds to the
ROYG for disabled missiles caused some frustration among NSB
officials. The fact that the destruction finally took place,
however, eliminated those frustrations, renewed goodwill
between the parties, and bodes well for further US-ROYG
cooperation on MANPADS threat reduction. END COMMENT.
SECHE