ISIS is using weapons marked 'Property of U.S. Govt.'

Weapons issued by the U.S. to Syrian rebels appear to have fallen into the wrong hands as ISIS is reportedly using "significant quantities" of U.S.-made small arms, according to a new study.

Agence France-Presse reports that Conflict Armament Research, a small-arms research organization based in London, conducted a study that "documented weapons seized by Kurdish forces from militants in Iraq and Syria over a 10-day period in July." The report revealed that jihadists are using American-made M16s marked with "Property of the U.S. Govt." as well as M79 rockets identical to those given to forces of the Free Syrian Army in 2013 by Saudi Arabia.

ISIS is believed to have acquired many weapons through the capture of Syrian military installations and from a recent campaign in Iraq, where the militants were able to seize U.S.-issued supplies.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech this Wednesday addressing the threat of ISIS and the White House's three-year plan to destroy the Islamic State.