Much of ISIS' Weaponry Comes From US, Russia and China

Monday, 06 Oct 2014 08:38 AM

By Elliot Jage

Weapons and ammunition intended to fight jihadists in Syria and Iraq have instead made it into the hands of the Islamic State group, The New York Times reported.
The data on the origins of the war material is based on field research and analysis by the EU-funded Conflict Armament Research, which studied weapons and ammunition recovered by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State (ISIS) forces in Iraq and Syria this summer.
Most turned out to be manufactured in China, Russia or the former Soviet Union, and the United States.
"The lesson learned here," according to James Bevan, who directs the research group, "is that the defense and security forces that have been supplied ammunition by external nations really don't have the capacity to maintain custody of that ammunition," Bevan said, according to The Times.
ISIS' weaponry had been purchased from groups who got them from outside donors, or from groups that were absorbed into ISIS, or on the black-market — including from ostensible enemies. 
Weapons also were captured in battle from Iraqi and Syrian soldiers. ISIS often pursued battles where victory would bring the spoils of enemy war material, The Times reported.
The U.S. weapons had originally been provided to the Iraqi security forces after American-led forces overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003. 
"We have a lot of ammunition that comes from Iraqi security forces, which was captured on the battlefield, and a lot of ammunition that previously came from Syrian defense forces, which would be captured on the battlefield as well," Bevan said, The Times reported.
China and Russia supplied the Syrian weapons which were later captured by the jihadist group. Chinese armaments turn up in most conflicts. Some Iranian ammunition reached ISIS from captured Shiite stores, The Times reported.Researchers identified 21 nations as sources of bullets recovered by the Kurds. For instance, captured 5.56-millimeter cartridges had been manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri. And ISIS anti-tank rockets had originally been provided by Saudi Arabia to the Free Syrian Army, The Times reported.