British Report: Weapons produced in Albania are used by I SIS

In signs “The quantities of weapons documented in Iraq and Syria, according to the production state”, Albania results in 53 identified weapons, or 0.113% of total, of which 21 in Iraq and 32 in Syria.

Of the countries in the region, the highest amount of identified weapons is from Serbia (1211) and Bosnia (704).

The first state figures Russia, with 25.5% of the total, followed by China, by 25.4%.

According to the report, about 90 percent of the weapons and ammunition (97 percent and 87 percent, respectively), scattered by the IS forces are the calibre of the Warsaw Pact - originally in China, Russia, and Eastern European production countries. NATO calibre weapons and ammunition are much less widespread, representing 3 per cent and 13 per cent of total, respectively; although these amounts are low, the IS forces received considerable amounts of NATO's weapons during the initial attacks on Iraqi forces in 2014.

Conflict Armation Research is a United Kingdom-based organisation that monitors the international movement of conventional weapons, ammunition and military materials. The group monitors the weapons supply chain used illegally in conflict zones to find out how weapons shipments are diverted.

The “Art in Islamic State”, published in December 2017, is the result of more than three years of field investigation into Islamic State supply chains. The document is funded by the European Union and Germany's Federal Foreign Office. It presents an analysis of more than 40,000 items recovered from the group between 2014 and 2017. These items include weapons, ammunition and tracking components and chemical agents used to produce improvised explosive devices.

CAR's investigation shows that the parties tried to hide the origin of weapons.

These efforts include: removing ammunition from the original boxes, which would otherwise provide delivery information; repacking ammunition; and eliminating the factory's weapons and ammunition signs, writes Armonitor. These activities are evidence of deliberate efforts by the parties to conceal their involvement in supply of weapons in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

Unauthorized transfer of weapons originally destined for Syrian opposition forces has also resulted in a significant source of arms and ammunition for ISIS, especially advanced anti-tank weapons systems. China produced 43.5 percent of all I weapons. SIS documented in Iraq and Syria.

Interestingly, Russian weapons are still more than Chinese weapons in Syria, something perhaps related to Russian arms supplies to strengthen forces towards the regime. Despite major shipments of Western equipment seized by I forces SIS, US weapons accounted for only 1.8 percent of all the equipment recorded between 2014 and 2017.