Arms supplied by US, Saudi ended up with Islamic State, researchers say

BAGHDAD – Arms provided by the United States and Saudi Arabia to Syrian opposition groups frequently ended up in the hands of Islamic State, an arms monitoring group that analyzed weapons found on the battlefield said on Thursday.

Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said most Islamic State weapons were looted from the Iraqi and Syrian armies. But some were originally provided by other countries, mainly the United States and Saudi Arabia, to Syrian opposition groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad.

"These findings are a stark reminder of the contradictions inherent in supplying weapons into armed conflicts in which multiple competing

and overlapping non-state armed groups operate," the group said in a 200-page report.