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October 10, 2008 4:14:24 PM CDT

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US Supplier Arms Afghan Forces With Ancient Ammo

Posted Mar 27, 08 9:13 AM CDT in US,  World 

(Newser) – The US military's main supplier for munitions to Afghanistan is an unvetted business run by a 22-year-old with no military experience and a string of domestic violence allegations, an investigation by the New York Times finds. And the tiny company's shady dealings with arms traffickers has left Afghan forces armed with obsolete, 40-year-old ammo.

AEY Inc., operating out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, won a $300-million contract last year; since then it has provided ammunition from the former Communist bloc seemingly bought on the black market. AEY has disbursed tens of millions of cartridges made in China in 1966, and more than 100 million aging rounds from Albania. Repeated inquiries by the Times recently led the US Army to suspend AEY's contract.

Source New York Times

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    US Ambassador Implicated in China Arms Deal The American ambassador to Albania personally endorsed a plan to disguise the origin of munitions bought by a Pentagon contractor, according to Congressional testimony. The New York Times traveled to Albania during an earlier investigation of a shady 22-year-old arms dealer operating out of Miami Beach. But the Albanian defense minister, with the ambassador's approval, had illegal Chinese ammunition removed from the site that the reporter was visiting. More »

A new Afghan National Army recruit march during the graduation ceremony on the outskirts of Kabul. An unvetted company run by a 22-year-old has provided the Afghan army with worthless munitions.   (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A soldier of the Afghan National Army stands guard during a patrol in Musa Qala, Afghanistan. An unvetted company run by a 22-year-old has provided the Afghan army with worthless munitions.   (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, Pool, File)
An Afghan police man stand guard near the site of an explosion in Kabul. An unvetted company run by a 22-year-old has provided the Afghan army with worthless munitions.   (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
AEY Inc., operating out of Miami Beach, has provided the Afghan army with worthless munitions.   ((c) Photog*Phillip)
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Afghanistan  • US military  • corruption  • Afghan Army  • arms trafficking  • ammunition  • procurement


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