(Image source: The Atlantic)

BY MONICA AYALA-TALAVERA

You're watching multisource global video analysis from Newsy.

Missing -- missiles.

That’s the fear  in Libya after Human Rights Watch reported -- it encountered empty silos.
CNN’s Ben Wedeman has more from Tripoli.

“Libya has as many as 20,000 surface to air missiles, and as the representative of Human Rights Watch told us, in every town and city they’ve gone into where armories have been looted the first thing to disappear are these surface to air missiles.”

TIME reports it will be a challenge to relocate these missiles:

“The looted missiles, tank shells and other weapons will be difficult to trace in a country with little centralized authority and a plethora of autonomous militias. The fledgling rebel government is overwhelmed by the challenge of restoring infrastructure and basic services while simultaneously exerting authority over the remaining Gaddafi strongholds.”

Democracy Now! says there’s pressure in the U.S. to step in and secure these weapons instead of leaving it up to Libya’s National Transitional Council.

“The House intelligence committee yesterday, Michigan Republican Mike Rogers, expressed concerns to the White House that al-Qaeda might actually capture some of these weapons, and he said: ‘we need to do more to secure these weapon systems now and there is nobody better who can get their hands on this stuff, account for it, and render it safe, than the U.S.’”

BBC News reports the al-Qaeda sub-group -- Islamic Maghreb -- is active in countries bordering Libya, but it’s unclear whether or not Libya is an accessible arsenal for any potential insurgency yet.

“...EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, said it was possible that AQIM had already acquired some of Libya's weapons, including the surface-to-air missiles.  Others have disputed his comments, with French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet saying measures were in place to prevent the spread of armaments.”

Human Rights Watch says the SA-24 is also on the top of Iran’s wish list.  Stay with Newsy for the latest updates.