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News > Iraq

Iraq Lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul, Admits Prime Minister

  • The United States has provided Iraq with thousands of humvees, many of which are now being used in suicide bombings by the Islamic State group.

    The United States has provided Iraq with thousands of humvees, many of which are now being used in suicide bombings by the Islamic State group. | Photo: Reuters

Published 2 June 2015
Opinion

Iraq's prime minister has admitted to losing thousands of Humvee to the Islamic State group, as the U.S. prepares to send his country weapons to destroy armored vehicles.

Iraq has lost thousands of combat vehicles to the Islamic State group, along with potentially millions of dollars worth of other military gear, Prime Minister Haider Abadi admitted Sunday.

"In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons," Abadi said in an interview with state broadcaster Iraqiya, according to AFP.

Humvees are multipurpose combat vehicles widely used by U.S. forces.

"We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone,” he said.

As AFP reported, the price tag of the loss is unclear, though it would likely run into at least the tens of millions of dollars. On top of the Humvees, Iraqi forces are also believed to have lost munitions and tanks when the Islamic State group tool control of the country's second largest city of Mosul in June 2014.

Abadi said the heavy equipment losses have taken their toll on the Iraqi military's ability to fight back against the Islamic State group.

“I admit that we did not have the capability to arm everyone, because we lost in the collapse of Mosul a lot of weapons and ammunition,” he said.

Much of Iraqi military's gear is supplied by the United States. More than US$500 million in small arms and other equipment was handed over to government forces in 2014 alone, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of State in January.

Last week, the Pentagon said it was preparing to deliver 2000 anti-tank rockets to Iraq. The rockets are intended for use against vehicles rigged with explosives by suicide bombers, which are regularly used by the Islamic State group to punch through fortifications.

"This is a good counter to that (type of bombing)," Pentagon spokesperson Col. Steve Warren said, according to Reuters.

The Islamic State group has repeatedly used Humvee in suicide bombings.

RELATED: Islamic State Is the Child of Chaos, Not Religion

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