Iraq Willing to Accept Arms from Russia, Iran: Iraq’s Ambassador

Local Editor

Iraq's ambassador to the United States said on Tuesday Iraq will turn to Iran, Russia and elsewhere for arms and military advice if the Obama administration won't supply what it needs to halt the al-Qaeda splinter terrorist group.

Ambassador Lukman Faily said that though Washington is the Iraqi government's first-choice arms supplier, "We have to choose whoever is available" because of the threat from the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" [ISIL] militant group.

Faily told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that Iraq would be willing to buy arms from Iran, even though purchases from Tehran are prohibited under international sanctions.

"We will do that ... if we can't get cooperation elsewhere," he said.

On Sunday, Russia delivered 12 fighter jets to Baghdad, a move that illustrated Iraq's willingness to turn elsewhere.

However, "ISIL's" advance has sharpened a dispute between Washington and Baghdad over the US supply of arms to Iraq. The US administration has been selling Iraq missiles, fighter jets and helicopters, but its supply has not been as large, or as fast-moving, as Iraq would like.

The US is supplying Iraq with F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters, but they will not arrive until fall, and the Iraqi pilots will need to be trained.
Iraq has bought $10 billion worth of arms from the US, Faily said.

Furthermore, Faily said Iraqis are convinced that the administration takes the militant threat seriously and that it intends to increase its involvement in stopping the extremist group.

Sources: News Agencies, Edited by website team