Thread: ISIL captured 52 U.S.-made howitzers; artillery weapons cost 500K each

ISIL captured 52 U.S.-made howitzers; artillery weapons cost 500K each

By Douglas Ernst
The Washington Times
Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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  Image: U.S. Army more >

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.

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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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