House Republicans are reportedly determined to launch a congressional probe into whether US weapons sent to Ukraine and left behind in Afghanistan found their way into Hamas’ hands, according to US independent media.
The 7 October brutal attack on Israeli settlements carried out by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups raised the question about American and Soviet-era weapons apparently used during the Saturday onslaught.
In particular, the son of former US President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, drew attention to videos featuring Palestinians holding American-made M4 assault rifles.
US Republican House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene raised the alarm about small arms smuggling: “Did they come from Afghanistan? Did they come from Ukraine? Highly likely the answer is both,” she tweeted on 8 October.
The controversy surrounding the uncontrollable spread of US weapons through Central Asia and the Middle East has been simmering for quite a while. During the Obama-era Arab Spring, US weapons circulated from Libyan to Syrian jihadi insurgents; the US’ Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported a troubling waste of money and potential misappropriation of US funds and assets in Afghanistan; US weaponry worth billions of dollars was left behind in the Central Asian country after the Pentagon’s hasty withdrawal in August 2021.
Read more: House GOP to Investigate Whether Hamas’ Weapons Came from Ukraine, Afghanistan — Report
