Amnesty Blames ISIS Killings On ‘Decades Of Reckless Arms Trading’

The report, titled “Taking Stock: The Arming of Islamic State”, released by the human rights organisation on Monday, was based on the expert analysis of thousands of images of the extremist group, which has proclaimed a caliphate in the conflict-ridden region. IS managed to acquire most of its munitions by raiding weapons depots of the Iraqi government army.

These weapons, including many accumulated by Iraq over five war-torn decades, were designed or manufactured in 25 countries and range from assault rifles to tanks and anti-aircraft defense systems, the report said.

ISIS overran Iraq in 2014 and captured the second largest city of Mosul.

U.S. officials are also in discussions with close allies like Britain, France, and others to ask them to step up their counterterrorist missions in places like Libya, where the Islamic State is growing but the White House is unwilling to send troops after the attacks that killed the ambassador and three more Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

Sometimes, the USA accidentally airdrops weapons directly to ISIS, as The Washington Post reported previous year.

“The vast and varied weaponry being used by the armed group calling itself Islamic State is a textbook case of how reckless arms trading fuels atrocities on a massive scale”, Amnesty researcher Patrick Wilcken said in the report.

Amnesty’s report blamed corruption in Iraq’s government and a lack of strict control over its stockpiles for aiding Islamic State militants in carrying out multiple mass weapons seizures.

ISIS has also gained access to weapons from other sources through the capture or sale of Syrian military stocks supplied to armed opposition groups in Syria by countries including Turkey, the Gulf States and the US, according to the organization.

Obama reiterated Sunday night that the United States will not get in a ground war in Iraq or Syria, claiming that ISIS wants a ground war in order to recruit new members.

The report says the majority of the weapons acquired by the Takfiri terrorists have been given to Iraqi security forces by different Western countries between 2003 and 2007. A Government spokeswoman said: “The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world”.

Oliver Sprague, Amnesty UK’s Arms Programme Director, said: “Decades of free-flowing arms into Iraq meant that when IS took control of these areas, they were like children in a sweetshop”.

“The legacy of arms proliferation and abuse in Iraq and the surrounding region has already destroyed the lives and livelihoods of millions of people and poses an ongoing threat”, Wilcken said.

Amnesty says its research can determine that the IS controls the largest arsenal of weapons on the territory it holds and suggests it will maintain its positions for the foreseeable future.