Iraqis to get M-16s and M-4s in effort to stem flow of arms to 'black market'

BAGHDAD, April 22 (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces will start replacing their AK-47 rifles this year with the M-16s and M-4s used by U.S. troops, which will help track the weapons and cut down on theft, a senior U.S. military official said...

The Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, said in 2006 that the flow of weapons from Iraq's now 325,000-strong security forces to the black market posed a dilemma for U.S. commanders...

Now the U.S.-made M-16s and M-4s will be matched to their users with a sophisticated database using fingerprints and retinal scans, as well as serial numbers on the rifles.

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