ISIS Weapons Courtesy of the U.S. – Study
A study by the London-based small-arms research organisation Conflict Armament Research has revealed that the Islamic State jihadi fighters appear to be using weapons that were U.S.-made but captured as they seized large swath of areas in Iraq and Syria.
Conflict Armament Research issued its findings based from a list of weapons captured by Kurdish militias from ISIS over a 10-day period in July. It was found that the jihadis even disposed "significant quantities" of US-made small arms including M16 assault rifles. The Kurdish militias likewise found armaments with markings "Property of US Govt."
Moreover, the report likewise revealed that the anti-tank rockets the ISIS used in Syria were "identical to M79 rockets" that were transferred to forces operating under the Free Syrian Army umbrella in 2013 by Saudi Arabia.
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The military arsenals in Iraq's northern areas were full of assault rifles and ammunition supplied by the U.S., as well as heavy weapons.
The ISIS were using these large numbers of captured U.S. weapons and said to be routinely shift them to key battlefields.
The report was released in time for the finalization of a White House plan on Monday which involved lashing air strikes against the jihadis in Iraq to their strongholds in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to issue a key address to the nation on Wednesday where he will state a much detailed plan to "degrade and destroy" the jihadis.
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"I'm preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat from IS," Mr Obama said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Wednesday is the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, now on its 13th year.
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However, the U.S. has yet to get the explicit approval of the 22-member body Arab League, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, if it will fully support an American military action against the Sunni extremists in Syria.
Various intelligence authorities have remarked the militant ISIS has all the makings to overtake al-Qaida to become the west's most dangerous enemy.
"We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We're going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately we're going to defeat them," Mr Obama said.
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