Al Qaeda (ISIS) Captured 52 US-Made M198 Howitzers From Iraqi Army, Cost $500K Each

Pat Dollard

Excerpted from WASHINGTON TIMES: Sunni radicals with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may have captured as many as 52 U.S.-made M198 howitzers in their march across Iraq in June.

“They shouldn’t have too much trouble shelling large area targets like a city if they have sufficient ammo,” Jeremy Binnie of the British military consultancy HIS Janes toldMcClatchy news service Monday.

The artillery weapons, which cost roughly $500,000 each, include GPS aiming systems.

Mr. Binnie told McClatchy that the Islamic terrorist organization would have a difficult time figuring out exactly how to use the technology’s pinpoint accuracy, but that members would still be able to do significant damage. Each howitzer has a range of 20 miles and can fire two rounds per minute.

In addition to the stolen artillery weapons, ISIL is also in possession of 1,500 armored Humvees, McClatchy reported.

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