Iraqi security forces have lost roughly 2,300 Humvees to the Islamic State group, Iraq’s prime minister said.
“In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons,” Haider al-Abadi said on Sunday in an interview with Iraqiya state TV. “We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone.”
It is unclear exactly how much the loss cost financially, but it is a big enough one overall that has given the terror group a boost.
Iraqi forces lost Mosul to the Islamic State on June 10, 2014, just one day after clashes began. According to Agence France-Presse, the Islamic State has used the captured Humvees — given to Iraq by the U.S. — in subsequent fighting, sometimes lining them with explosives for suicide bombings.
Last year, the State Department approved a possible sale of 1,000 Humvees to Iraq with increased armor, machine guns, grenade launchers and other gear and support estimated to cost $579 million.
Iraqi security forces had regained ground from the Islamic State in north Baghdad, however that momentum was destroyed when the terror group overran Ramadi in mid-May.
