US army failed to track arms going to Iraq gov't: audit

NEW YORK

The U.S. army failed to account for military equipment and vehicles worth more than $1 billion that were intended for the Iraqi government forces, according to a 2016 audit by the Pentagon's inspector general.

The army’s 1st Theater Sustainment Command, which serves as a logistics headquarters, "did not have accurate, up-to-date records on the quantity and location of equipment on hand in Kuwait and Iraq,” said the audit report.

Originally marked "for official use only", it was obtained and released by Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday through a Freedom of Information Act request.

AI researcher Patrick Wilcken said in a statement that the report "provides a worrying insight into the U.S. Army’s flawed -- and potentially dangerous -- system for controlling millions of dollars’ worth of arms transfers to a hugely volatile region.

“It makes for especially sobering reading given the long history of leakage of U.S. arms to multiple armed groups committing atrocities in Iraq," including Daesh terror group, Wilcken said.

The arms were going to the Iraqi government in support of its fight against Daesh, as part of a Congress-approved fund of $1.6 billion in 2015.

NEW YORK

Originally marked "for official use only", it was obtained and released by Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday through a Freedom of Information Act request.

“It makes for especially sobering reading given the long history of leakage of U.S. arms to multiple armed groups committing atrocities in Iraq," including Daesh terror group, Wilcken said.

The arms were going to the Iraqi government in support of its fight against Daesh, as part of a Congress-approved fund of $1.6 billion in 2015.