U.S. delivers weapons directly to Iraqi forces for first time

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

For the first time last week, U.S. troops distributed weapons directly to Iraqi fighting units instead of going through the government of Iraq, a major shift in policy.

Sunni tribes and U.S.-trained Iraqi forces complained for months they had received inferior weaponry or, in the case of the Sunni tribes, no weapons at all, while advanced guns and vehicles went to Shiite forces fighting the Islamic State in Tikrit and elsewhere.

Previous U.S. policy had been that all weapons would be delivered to Baghdad's Shiite-dominated central government, which would then take the lead in distributing them.

 

After several setbacks in the Anbar province, which is Sunni-dominated, the U.S. increased pressure to distribute weapons directly to the Iraqi troops and tribes.

[Draggingtree]

U.S. Cuts Out Middleman in Delivering Weapons to ISIS

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:21 am

 

Before we get to today’s story, let’s have a quick review from three days ago, shall we?

 

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi told state TV on Sunday that Iraq’s government lost 2,300 Humvee vehicles when Islamic State insurgents seized the city of Mosul in June 2014.

 

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, took over Iraq’s second-largest city following the staggering collapse of the Iraqi military in the region. Faced with the militants’ advance, the Iraqi troops defending the city fled so hastily that some soldiers reportedly stripped off their uniforms and left behind the equipment they carried.

 

Capturing Mosul gave ISIS a major base for operations in Iraq — and, as Abadi’s announcement proves, an enormous cache of weapons and vehicles, much of it provided by the U.S.

 

And now, today:

 

For the first time last week, U.S. troops distributed weapons directly to Iraqi fighting units instead of going through the government of Iraq, a major shift in policy.

http://patterico.com/2015/06/04/u-s-cuts-out-middleman-in-delivering-weapons-to-isis/

[Valin]