US Reluctant to Sell Iraq More Arms With ISIS Taking So Many

Iraq Had Best Weapons Money Can Buy, But Couldn't Keep Them

The 2008-2009 Iraqi Army had a lot of very high-end US weaponry and vehicles. It was the best weaponry money (and a lot of taxpayer aid) can buy, and that gear was the envy of the region.

The late 2014 Iraqi Army wishes they had those kind of arms, and is pushing the US to sell them some again. The US isn’t keen on that idea, however, after what happened to the last military’s worth of gear.

US officials are reportedly reluctant to sell Iraq a new collection of high-end weaponry because a large chunk of the weapons that were there a few years ago were abandoned by Iraqi troops in retreat and looted by ISIS.

Now, US warplanes are swarming over Iraq trying to blow up all those vehicles they sold/gave to Iraq the last time, and with no real guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again, the new shipments will remain a tough sell.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.