U.S. manufactured tanks have reportedly ended up in the arsenal of fighters from an umbrella organization of mostly Iran-allied Shiite militias in Iraq that have expressed hostility towards troops from the United States, according to an audit by the top inspector general (IG) for overseas operations.
Some militias from the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces/Units (PMF/U), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, have threatened American troops in recent months, urging the United States to entirely withdraw from Iraq now that Baghdad has declared defeat over the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
Although some PMU fighters fought alongside the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, some of those Shiite fighters may have American blood on their hands having clashed with the United States armed forces following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In a quarterly report issued to Congress, the Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operation (LIG-OCO), which covers activities by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Department of State (DoS), and the U.S. Agency for International Development, auditors found:
This quarter [October 1, 2-17 thru December 31, 2017] , the DoS acknowledged that some U.S.-provided military equipment sent to support the mission, including as many as nine M1 Abrams tanks, had fallen into the hands of Iranian-backed militias that fought against ISIS in Iraq. The DoS pressed the Iraqi government to prioritize the return of defense articles provided by the United States as designated in the sale agreements. READ MORE
