U.S. Weapons To Iraq Are Ending Up In the Hands Of Iranian-Backed Militias

On Facebook, members of Iraqi Shiite militias proudly display American arms, such as this photo from October of an M1A1 Abrams tank draped in a Hezbollah flag. Facebook Photo

Josh Rogin & Eli Lake, Bloomberg: Iran-Backed Militias Are Getting U.S. Weapons

WNU Editor: I am sure that the Pentagon and the White House are well aware that this is happening .... but they have choose to ignore it and/or accept such transfers as "acceptable" losses. As to what is my take .... I am not surprised that this is happening .... the Iraqi military is now a shell of it's former self .... and this will probably be the case for a long time. And while there are many Iraqi Army units involved in the fight against the Islamic State, the perception is that the bulk of the fighting appears to be coming from Shiite militias. For U.S. policymakers .... this does present a dilemma. (1) Stay out of the fight and let the Islamic State further establish their control over a third of Iraq, (2) support the Iraqi government even though it may result in Iran being the ultimate beneficiary of such an involvement, or (3) align more openly with Iran even though the Iranians may have other ideas .... The Fantasy of an Iran-US Partnership: Report (Al-Manar). My prediction .... the arms will continue to flow, and the war will continue to escalate.

Update: Iraq's Less-Than-Reliable Military Is Getting Hundreds Of American Tanks And Armored Vehicles -- Business Insider