U.S. Loses $500 Million of Weapons to Iranian-Backed Rebels

Yup, looks like $500 million worth of weapons are now unaccounted for after the U.S. abandoned the Embassy in Yemen Last Month. Now they are supposedly in the hands of Iranian-backed rebels.
Article

Just a month ago, the U.S. abandoned its embassy in Yemen in the wake of sectarian violence following the hostile takeover of a radical minority group.

Among the items delivered to Yemen since 2010, according to the Post: 250 suits of body armor, a couple hundred (each) M-4 rifles and Glock 9mm pistols, and more than a million rounds of ammo. Oh, and 160 Humvees, four Huey II helicopters, a couple of patrol boats, and three aerial transports.

An excerpt from a Washington Post sourced article in this report:

The Pentagon is unable to account for more than $500 million in U.S. military aid given to Yemen, amid fears that the weaponry, aircraft and equipment is at risk of being seized by Iranian-backed rebels or al-Qaeda, according to U.S. officials. With Yemen in turmoil and its government splintering, the Defense Department has lost its ability to monitor the whereabouts of small arms, ammunition, night-vision goggles, patrol boats, vehicles and other supplies donated by the United States. The situation has grown worse since the United States closed its embassy in Sanaa, the capital, last month and withdrew many of its military advisers.

The State Department issued a statement saying their are no current plans in place to return to the war-torn nation. House Speaker John Boehner called the loss "a major setback in operations against al-Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliate."

Happy to see my hard-earned tax dollars are going to stupid crap like this. Thanks to America's wonderful foreign policy choices and pissing off all sorts of cultures/nations/groups, we can look forward to more of this to come I'm sure.

a reply to: FamCore

Which is worse? The weapons being seized or America giving them out in the first place?

IMO The only people that should be receiving weapons in the Middle East are the Kurds.

originally posted by: FamCore
Yup, looks like $500 million worth of weapons are now unaccounted for after the U.S. abandoned the Embassy in Yemen Last Month. Now they are supposedly in the hands of Iranian-backed rebels.

Are they the guys fighting ISIS? Are they on 'our' side this week? So hard to keep track anymore...

IF it IS a mistake...
I wonder if it isn't a backdoor deal like Benghazi.

a reply to: FamCore

Abandoned?

Shouldn't that be. Left for them to use?

How else are we going to go to war those rebels unless they are a threat?

The WMD excuse can only be used once after all.

a reply to: Greathouse

The Kurds are pretty much Communists, and want to create their own country, Kurdistan. They'll also likely want to take land from Turkey, a NATO ally.

We really shouldn't be arming anyone.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

The Kurds have proven theirselves allies to Iraq. They only sought approval from the United States/World community, every since they received the northern regions the terrorist activity with Turkey has died down enough where Turkey will let the Kurds transit their Territory to fight Isis.

Among the items delivered to Yemen since 2010, according to the Post: 250 suits of body armor, a couple hundred (each) M-4 rifles and Glock 9mm pistols, and more than a million rounds of ammo. Oh, and 160 Humvees, four Huey II helicopters, a couple of patrol boats, and three aerial transports.

So, a diplomatic mission...????
I'm all for Embassies being able to defend themselves, but geesh!!!

a reply to: Greathouse

Yes, I am aware of all the good they are doing -- but that doesn't answer the question what they will want/do 10 years from now once the current situation has been neutralized.

We always seem to get ourselves into this mess, arming one faction that at the moment is in our interests, and then having our own weapons turned right back around on us at a later point in time. We never seem to think of the long term implications of the "friends" we make.

Remember, Bin Laden used to be a US asset against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I completely see your point. They don't need massive amount of armaments from us. Just enough for them to defend theirselves and take care of the current situation with Isis.

I myself do not want to see 10,000 people on a mountain trying to put their children in helicopters and crying again.

a reply to: Greathouse

And don't get me wrong -- I see your point too! The Kurds seem to honestly want to get rid of a common enemy we have at the moment. I think though, that our future foreign policy should be a little more long-term oriented. If we're going to give them weapons, we should be looking at how to get them back when they're done with them, or helping them build whatever nation they want in a way that doesn't bite us back.

The USA...great at wars, not so great at nation-building. I think we should spend a little time practicing that part, it might save us from having get into more wars in the future.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: Greathouse

I think though, that our future foreign policy should be a little more long-term oriented.

While this looks to be a bit off topic, it actually goes in depth on what I just have quoted of you.

And it`s also sort of comical to read...

U.S. Begs Russia to Remain in ‘SWIFT’ - The One Bank Fails Again

The article headline is long on hyperbole. The largest group at work or the Sunni-dominated Al-Qaeda affiliates (ISIS included), which are opposed by the Houthis.

It was believed by Western states and Saudi Arabia that the Houthis had accepted aid from Iran while Saudi Arabia was aiding their Yemeni rivals [29] Al-Qaeda. (wikipedia)

The Yemeni government has also accused the Houthis of having ties to external backers, in particular the Iranian government, as Iran is a Shia-majority country.[43] In turn, the Houthis have countered with allegations that the Yemeni government is being backed by virulently anti-Shia external backers such as al-Qaeda and the monarchy of Saudi Arabia,[44][45][46] despite the fact that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was also Zaidi.[47] The discord has led some publishers to fear that further confrontations may lead to an all-out Sunni-Shiite war.

Iran has provided some economic aid, which they have publicly stated (source source).

The Houthis are combating Al-Qaeda-ISIS and Saudi Arabian backed extremism in Yemen. Which one of these is terrorizing the Mideast? Not the Houthis.

My cynical nature leads me to believe this "loss" of 500M in weapons in Yemen was designed to keep the AQ and ISIS elements in Yemen well equipped, while allowing the US to decry how it fell to the evil "Iranian-backed rebels." Cue those war drums for the war on Iran...!

Lets see here ...A US embassy had a half a billion $$ worth of weapons they left behind when they left ?? Something wrong with that right there ...Next ,some rebels got a hold of them and some how ,Iran is supporting them ? ..Sounds to me like the US is supplying rebels with weapons but better blame them for being some how related to another country you might have on your war list .

I heard 2 people today at the meeting going on in Brussels saying that Saudi Arabia has given or is giving 1 billion dollars to Pakistan to join in the fighting in the middle east ....

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

I read your post after I pecked out mine I swear :>)

a reply to: FamCore

The US, and the UK, are really good at losing their military weapons and aid, like food, water, etc, to their enemies.

How do you just lose $500 million in weapons?........
A

Infact scrub that why were there $500 million worth of weapons in a embassy in the first place?

So now we've armed both sides? Both ISIS and the people fighting ISIS? Is that what this is saying? It really is hard to keep all this straight. Can't we just do shirts and skins or something?

originally posted by: Blackmarketeer

Iran has provided some economic aid, which they have publicly stated

My cynical nature leads me to believe this "loss" of 500M in weapons in Yemen was designed to keep the AQ and ISIS elements in Yemen well equipped, while allowing the US to decry how it fell to the evil "Iranian-backed rebels." Cue those war drums for the war on Iran...!

Ummm...I know...Right...?

At least until you consider this little...nugget.. .of information

I suppose my cynical nature might consider that Iran might call 185 tons of weapons..."humanitarian aid"...However it really doesn't seem to compare favorably as 185 tons of MRE's etc......might...KWIM...?

Yeah...it's hard not to see Iran as the "good guys" as long as your wearing the same tint of glasses as the "commander in chief"...So does that mean with the Obama administration pushing so hard to have everyone believe in the good humanitarian nature of Iran...AND... repeatedly dropping weapons to the "Isissie's"...Or "Isis in drag"...that he's playing both sides against each other...?

Well who would have thought he was such a good strategist...


YouSir

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: Blackmarketeer

I read your post after I pecked out mine I swear :>)

Just shows that we both can see past the BS, the headlines like these designed to provoke us into another pre-planned preemptive "war of choice."