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ISIS Shows Off Its American-Made M16 Rifles

A video released by ISIS appeared to show more than a dozen of the terror group's fighters undergoing weapons training on American M16 rifles.
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ISIS appears to be making use of U.S.-made weapons in Iraq.

A video released by ISIS' media arm in northern Iraq purportedly shows more than a dozen of the terror group's fighters undergoing weapons training — on American M16 rifles, according to Flashpoint Intelligence.

"It is noteworthy that the use of American rifles by Islamic State fighters is rare and is only seen in Iraq," Flashpoint said in a research note, using another name for the militant group. "These rifles were likely left by U.S. forces or seized from Iraqi soldiers."

Flashpoint — a security firm and NBC News intelligence consultant — said most jihadi fighters utilize Russian AK-47 rifles and that the video's release could suggest ISIS recently seized a cache of M16s.

ISIS propaganda material in the past has shown fighters flaunting what appear to be U.S.-made weapons, tanks and Humvees seized from retreating Iraqi forces.

The United States has supplied Iraq with hundreds of millions of dollars in military hardware — including humvees. Iraq's government said in June that it lost 2,300 Humvees to ISIS when the militants seized the city of Mosul.

Last year, an ISIS video claimed that an airdrop of weapons intended for Kurdish fighters had ended up in the militants' hands.