isis captured US weapons
Over the weekend, militants linked to Islamic State released photos that purport to show weapons and equipment that belonged to American soldiers and were captured by the group in eastern Afghanistan.

The photos, which came to light on Saturday, show an American portable rocket launcher, radio, grenades and other gear not commonly used by Afghan troops, as well as close up views of identification cards for a U.S. Army soldier, Specialist Ryan Larson. In an emailed statement, Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, the deputy chief of staff for the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan, said the soldier had not been captured and is currently with his unit.

However, contrary to report that the soldier may have been captured by ISIS, the U.S. military command in Kabul denied any such suggestion, saying he "has been accounted for and remains in a duty status within his unit." American special operations troops have been fighting alongside Afghan forces in a renewed offensive against militants who claim allegiance to Islamic State in Nangarhar Province, which borders Pakistan.

isis captured weapons
Close up view of identification cards for a U.S. Army soldier, Specialist Ryan Larson.
"SPC Larson was attached to a unit conducting a partnered (operation) with Afghan Forces," U.S. military spokesman Commander Ron Flesvig said in an emailed statement on Sunday. "The soldier's I.D. and some of the equipment were left behind after the (operation). The loss of personal identification is unfortunate."

There was less clarity about where the supposedly US weapons came from. The website that published the photos speculated that the equipment and weapons were left behind during that engagement, but Flesvig said American officials are still trying to determine exactly when and how it was lost.

The push in Nangarhar came after President Barack Obama cleared American troops to take a more active role in fighting militants in Afghanistan.

According to the WaPo, the captured weapons may have come from Special Ops forces fighting on the ground.

The assortment of weapons, equipment and documents raise more questions than answers, and while the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan has been reluctant to conflate the loss of material with the wounding of the U.S. soldiers in the country's restive Nangahar province, the type of gear and the timing of the pictures suggest that the two could be related.

"We are still working to determine if all of the equipment in the pictures was lost during recent operations or at some other time in the past," Cleveland said.
isis captured US weapons
Last month the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, told reporters that five U.S. Special Operations soldiers had been wounded alongside their Afghan counterparts during "clearing operations" against Islamic State militants in Nangahar. Over the course of a week, the soldiers received wounds from gunfire and shrapnel, he said.

The amount of equipment, including what appears to be a 66mm single-shot rocket launcher, 40mm grenades, medium machine gun ammunition, multiple rucksacks, including two smaller assault packs, a sandbag, a handheld radio, pin flares, knee pads, a body armor carrier, a kit bag, a spare machine gun barrel, multiple rifle magazines, notebooks, medical equipment and goggles, suggest that either a position could have been overrun or a vehicle might have been ambushed - though Cleveland refuted both scenarios.

The U.S. military has been operating in eastern Afghanistan for years, and while some of the equipment could have been captured from a recent operation it is also possible some of it might have been left behind or captured in the past and pulled into the picture for added propaganda value.

The type of equipment, along with an additional list of gear that is also pictured in the cache, indicates that at least some of the radio batteries, ammunition, and kit likely belonged to a Special Operations unit. The list, partially handwritten and featured in one of the photos, has what appears to be a breakdown of the serialized equipment carried by a U.S. soldier, although it is unclear if the equipment belongs to the soldier whose ID was also captured.

The list includes a pair of nonstandard night vision goggles, a Mk. 48 medium machine gun and a FN SCAR, or Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle. The SCAR is a futuristic rifle that is billed as a highly modifiable weapon and comes in a number of variants that can be used in both close quarters combat and long range engagements. The SCAR, while in use by a number of Special Operations units, is a favorite of the 75th Ranger Regiment, a unit that has operated in Nangahar for some time. Last year, two soldiers from the regiment's 1st battalion were awarded Silver Stars for their actions in the province in 2014.

Also in the picture, and on the list of equipment, is a PRC-148 MBITR radio. The small black device is a favorite of ground troops and is often used for interteam communication and, when equipped with the right antenna, can be used to talk to overhead aircraft. Like most American radios the PRC-148 allows for encrypted communication, and the presence of one in the Islamic State's hands simply means U.S. forces in the region likely had to refill their radios with new encryption keys to prevent ISIS fighters from listening in. From the picture, the Islamic State appears not to have captured any rifles or night vision equipment. Although the assorted explosives will likely find their way into local bazaars or improvised explosive devices, the haul bolsters the group's visibility more than adding any real operational capabilities.

More cynical readers may be excused to suggest that Obama's latest push into Afghanistan, following his authorization in January to send more troops into the country he originally had vowed to pull out of, is already providing ISIS with a much needed restocking.