The U.S. military did not properly store or account for nearly $715 million in weapons for Syrian partners fighting the Islamic State, according to a new inspector general report released Tuesday.
The Defense Department report said officials with Special Operations Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (SOJTF-OIR) and the 1st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC) "did not maintain comprehensive lists of all equipment purchased and received" in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 due to a lack of a central repository for accountability documentation.
The IG report did not indicate whether the weapons found their way into the wrong hands, though noted that thousands of weapons were left "vulnerable to loss or theft," and might have resulted in gear damage and duplicate weapons purchases.
"Without conducting consistent inventories and ensuring proper security for CTEF-S equipment, 1st TSC could not determine whether items were lost or stolen which could delay the initiation of an investigation," according to the report.
The $715 million was part of a $930 million request by the DoD for the Counter-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Train and Equip Fund (CTEF).
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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