Weapons destruction to be completed soon

The destruction of weapons belonging to former warring factions is expected to be completed in the next two to three weeks in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, an official of the United Nations Peace-building Support Office in Liberia (UNOL) told IRIN on Monday. "ECOMOG, military and government officials and UNOL are working every day in Tubmanburg to finish the exercise," the source told IRIN. The weapons destruction came to a standstill in August due to a delay in bringing the necessary equipment to Tubmanburg but resumed in September, the Liberian Ministry of Defence has said. An official involved with the weapons destruction, Masiamba Tafirenyika, is quoted by independent Star radio on Friday as saying over 18,000 "pieces of arms" ( mainly small arms and assault rifles) had been destroyed. He added that a 105 mm howitzer and an anti-tank gun were destroyed earlier in the week. The metal parts of the guns will be used to manufacture agricultural tools, Tafirenyika said.