A Pentagon investigation has found that Iran-backed Shiite militias got their hands on US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks and used them against US-backed Kurdish forces last fall.
The US military newspaper Stars and Stripes says a recently released quarterly inspector general report on the anti-Islamic State mission cited reports that the pro-Iran militias, known as Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, had obtained up to nine of the US main battle tanks which they used in combat.
The PMF, which were fighting as part of the Iraqi security forces, had appropriated the tanks from ISIS in Tikrit in 2015 and in Mosul last year. ISIS had originally captured the armored vehicles from the Iraqi Army when it made its initial advances in Iraq.
US legislators reportedly threatened to curb military aid to Iraq when they learned that US tanks had been used against the Kurds, who are close US allies.
The Iraqi government has regained control of at least some of the tanks since October, the Pentagon report said. Other media reports were cited as saying they were all returned.
The Abrams is still the most effective tank in the world.
The real issue here is the US is meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs.
Sending troop to another sovereign country and take side will never be a good decision. I think India knows that better.
I remember stories like one Tiger tank in North Africa in WW2 when both allied and German armies tried hard to get their hands on; the Germans trying hard to keep it from allied hands after it was disabled. There’s a similar story of a Russian t55 or was it t62 the Chinese risked a war to get. The point is if it matters much to the US they would have done something already. Yup this tank is very much outdated. Which makes me think what is the US working on right now to replace it. At this point it is safe to say this Abrams has become the Sherman towards the end of WW2
idiot
Amazing!
ISIS captured the tanks from the Iraq army.
The PMF captured the tanks from ISIS.
And then the clanger, all the tanks were returned to the Iraq army, apparently in good order. .
Is this an April Fool story? It is only February now,