One of the consequences of President Biden’s disastrous evacuation of Afghanistan more than two years ago was the billions of dollars in U.S. weapons and munitions left behind: “What would become of these weapons?” onlookers wondered.
Now, we may have an idea.
In a recent letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and committee member Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are asking for information regarding American weapons that may have fallen into the hands of Hamas.
“The Committee has seen reports that U.S.-manufactured weapons are being redistributed and resold in secondary markets to terrorist organizations, including Hamas,” Comer and Greene wrote.
Comer and Greene are requesting a briefing on DOD “procedures for preventing, addressing, and mitigating weapon diversion abroad,” according to the letter, the Examiner reported.
One day after the horrific attack on Israel, Greene shared the following question on X.
“We need to work with Israel to track serial numbers on any U.S. weapons used by Hamas against Israel. Did they come from Afghanistan? Did they come from Ukraine? Highly likely the answer is both.”
The State Department issued a statement earlier this year stressing weapons can be captured and “change hands…as can happen in any war.”
“The U.S. Government remains keenly aware of the risk of possible illicit diversion, and is proactively taking steps to mitigate this risk in close cooperation with the government of Ukraine,” the State Department told Newsweek in June. “We are sending weapons to help Ukraine defend itself in an active conflict, and realistically must acknowledge that there is a risk these weapons could be captured if territory changes hands, as can happen in any war.”
It’s the “steps mitigating risk” that Comer and MTG want more information on.
“To assist us in examining this matter and to help our Committee understand DoD’s processes for tracking weapons and preventing improper diversion, we request a briefing with Committee staff as soon as possible, but no later than October 30th, 2023,” the letter to Austin reads.
“The briefing should include information on DoD’s current policies, procedures, weapon-recovery measures, and collaborative efforts with U.S. intelligence agencies to safeguard military aid and weaponry abroad.”
Seems reasonable.
