{"id":17043,"date":"2018-02-08T18:45:27","date_gmt":"2018-02-08T18:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:50:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:50:34","slug":"nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2017\/10\/16\/baghdad-retakes-kirkuk-and-pentagon-mulls-ending-train-and-equip\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">M1A1 Abrams<\/a> tanks, fell into the hands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/11\/08\/iraqi-vp-calls-iran-backed-militias-his-nations-top-threat\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Iranian-backed militias<\/a> during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Defense Department Inspector General\u2019s quarterly report, the State Department acknowledged the loss of the vehicles to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/05\/13\/isis-downs-iraqi-helicopter-west-of-mosul\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Popular Mobilization Forces<\/a>, or PMF, which are primarily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/2017\/07\/24\/after-mosul-victory-iraq-mulls-future-of-shiite-militias\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Shiite militias<\/a> strongly connected to Iran but sanctioned by the Iraqi government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, told Military Times that DoD has not provided defense equipment to the PMF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHowever, we have discovered incidents where some U.S.-origin equipment, including M1 Abrams tanks, came into the possession of certain PMF groups,\u201d Pahon said. \u201cThis equipment was subsequently used by these groups in the fight against ISIS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless, \u201call of these tanks were recently returned to Iraqi Security Forces custody,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dodig.mil\/reports.html\/Article\/1430685\/lead-inspector-general-for-operation-inherent-resolve-and-operation-pacific-eag\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">DoD IG\u2019s report<\/a> notes that the State Department \u201cpressed the Iraqi government to prioritize the return of defense articles provided by the United States as designated in the sale agreements.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pahon also pushed back against reports that Abrams manufacturer General Dynamics suspended its contracted support to Iraqi Security Forces over the lost tanks, stating that the \u201cAbrams maintenance program for the Iraqi Security Forces remains active.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2016\/12\/02\/empowered-shiite-militias-poised-to-dominate-key-iraq-town\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/iraq-12216.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Empowered Shiite militias poised to dominate key Iraq town<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">On the road to Tal Afar, an Iraqi city near Syria that&#039;s been key to sectarian catastrophes in both countries over the past decade, a mosaic of rag-tag troops advancing against Islamic State militants have one symbol in common.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Official acknowledgment of the tanks\u2019 whereabouts lends credence to reports that depicted western tech as a pivotal part of the battle to retake Kirkuk from Kurdish peshmerga forces in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Iraqi convoys that descended on the city were led by Abrams tanks, followed by Iranian-backed PMF in U.S.-armored Humvees and trucks, according to Ben Alexander, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/19\/us-abrams-tanks-sway-the-battle-in-kirkuk\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">American volunteer with the peshmerga<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can\u2019t take out an Abrams with anything they have over here. The peshmerga don\u2019t make IEDs [improvised explosive device] or VBIEDs [vehicle borne IEDs], so they\u2019re shit out of luck for Abrams,\u201d Alexander said in an interview with Military Times after the battle.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Iraqi government retook Kirkuk in response to the Kurdish region\u2019s independence vote on Sept. 25. The incident stoked debate at the Pentagon about ending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2016\/06\/29\/u-s-gives-iraq-a-2-7-billion-credit-to-buy-military-equipment\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. military assistance to Iraq<\/a>.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Abrams tanks were sold to the Iraqi government for use by the Iraqi Army as part of the Foreign Military Sales program over the past decade, Pahon explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe U.S. Departments of State and Defense cooperate closely to ensure the responsible transfer of equipment and training to host-nation forces in Iraq,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will continue to screen and vet all forces that receive U.S.-origin defense equipment and conduct end-use monitoring in order to ensure that this equipment remains in the possession of the designated end-user.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe continue to stress to the Government of Iraq, as we do to all allies and partners, their obligation to maintain U.S.-origin equipment under the operational control of the designated end-user,\u201d Pahon added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2005, the U.S. government has approved more than $22 billion worth of foreign military sales to Iraq, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/r\/pa\/prs\/ps\/2017\/03\/269040.htm\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">State Department<\/a>. The Iraqi Government financed the majority of these arms sales through their own national funds.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BREAKING<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/Iraqi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iraqi<\/a> Abrams tanks knocks over portrait of Masoud Barzani in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/Kirkuk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Kirkuk<\/a>, at request of locals who say he stole their oil wealth <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ywaMgCIVbn\">pic.twitter.com\/ywaMgCIVbn<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Al Sura (@AlSuraEnglish) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AlSuraEnglish\/status\/919915069760159744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 16, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26,62,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3357],"class_list":["post-17043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RQT4E3PZANDUDK2MAVHQYVDACE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-08T18:45:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T05:50:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kyle Rempfer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kyle Rempfer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-08T18:45:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:50:34+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 540,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Your Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-08T18:45:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:50:34+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/08\\\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight - Navy Times","description":"U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight","og_description":"U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2018-02-08T18:45:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T05:50:34+00:00","author":"Kyle Rempfer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kyle Rempfer","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight","datePublished":"2018-02-08T18:45:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:50:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/"},"wordCount":540,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Your Navy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/","name":"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-02-08T18:45:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:50:34+00:00","description":"U.S.-issued military equipment, to include as many as nine M1A1 Abrams tanks, fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during the turbulent period that swept Iraq as it battled the Islamic State, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/08\/nine-abrams-tanks-fell-into-the-hands-of-iranian-backed-militias-during-anti-isis-fight\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Nine Abrams tanks fell into the hands of Iranian-backed militias during anti-ISIS fight"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dfn-us-iraq-abrams-ammojpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17043"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17045,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17043\/revisions\/17045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17043"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=17043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}