Special to WorldTribune.com from Geostrategy-Direct.com

WASHINGTON — A month after denying the threat, the United States has expanded its operation to find the missing surface-to-air missile arsenal of ousted Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

The administration of President Barack Obama has approved a $30 million allocation to track and intercept SAM systems smuggled out of Libya. Officials said the program would include monitoring in Libya as well as in neighboring states, such as Niger and Tunisia.

“We’re working as assiduously as we can to address the threat,” Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro said. “It only takes one [missle] to make a real difference.”

Officials said the budget to track Libyan SAMs rose from $4 million to $30 million over the last month. They said the State Department has been contracting former military officers to help the new interim Libyan regime secure the Gadhafi arsenal, said to contain 20,000 SAMs.

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  administration spending millions to find Libyan SAMs, After denying crisis, Geostrategy-Direct..com