$1b of US Arms Transfers to Iraq, Kuwait Unaccounted

A declassified document, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that the US Army failed to keep accurate records on over $1 billion worth of arms transfers to Iraq and Kuwait, sent under the US-Iraqi cooperation agreement, a non-governmental human rights organization said on Wednesday.

The organization drew public attention to the Department of Defense 2016 report on accountability of the transfers of equipment to the Iraqi Army, which said that the US Army’s 1st Theater Sustainment Command (1st TSC) "did not have accurate, up-to-date records on the quantity and location of [Iraq Train and Equip Fund] ITEF equipment on hand in Kuwait and Iraq," Sputnik reported.

"The US Army failed to keep tabs on more than $1 billion worth of arms and other military equipment in Iraq and Kuwait according to a now declassified Department of Defense audit," Amnesty International said in a press release.

According to the human rights watchdog, "lax controls and record-keeping within the Iraqi chain of command" resulted in armed groups known for war crimes obtaining weapons and equipment.

The organization urged all countries selling arms to Iraq to ensure that all necessary measures are taken for the weapons not to fall into the wrong hands.