MISSILES AND DRONES AMONG WEAPONS STOLEN FROM U.S. IN IRAQ AND SYRIA – By Nick Turse (The Intercept) / Nov 25, 2023
Documents reveal “sensitive weapons and equipment” were taken – and the Pentagon may be unaware of the scope of the thefts.
U.S. MILITARY OUTPOSTS in Iraq and Syria are plagued by thefts of weapons and equipment, according to exclusive documents obtained by The Intercept that show militias and criminal gangs are systematically targeting U.S. forces.
Military investigations launched earlier this year found that “multiple sensitive weapons and equipment” — including guided missile launch systems as well as drones — have been stolen in Iraq. This follows hundreds of thousands of dollars in military gear that were purloined from U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria between 2020 and 2022, as reported earlier this year by The Intercept.
America’s bases in Iraq and Syria ostensibly exist to conduct “counter-ISIS missions,” but experts say they are used primarily as a check against Iran. Since the October outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, these bases have come under regular rocket and drone attacks as part of an undeclared war between the U.S. and Iran and its surrogate militias.
CONTINUE > https://theintercept.com/2023/11/25/military-weapons-iraq-syria-theft/
