Amnesty: Most weapons used by IS were seized from Iraqi army

In this file photo released on June 16, 2015, by Ismamic State militant group supporters on an anonymous photo sharing website, Islamic State militants clean their weapons in Deir el-Zour city, Syria. Decades of reckless arms trading and poorly regulated arms flow into Iraq have contributed to the Islamic State group's "large and lethal arsenal" being used to commit war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria, an international rights group said Tuesday, Dec. 8. militant photo via AP, File

BEIRUT — Amnesty International says most of the Islamic State group's weapons were taken from the Iraqi army.

The international rights group says in a report released Tuesday that decades of reckless arms trading and poorly regulated arms flows into Iraq have contributed to IS' "large and lethal arsenal," which is being used to commit war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria.

Amnesty based its report on expert analysis of verified videos and images.

It says the weapons used by IS were manufactured and designed in more than two dozen countries, including Russia, China the U.S. and European states.

Show comments