The United States plans to sell nearly $1 billion worth of warplanes,
armored vehicles and surveillance aerostats to Iraq.
The deal includes 24 AT-6C Texan II light-attack aircraft, a turboprop
plane manufactured by Beechcraft that has .50 caliber machine guns,
advanced avionics and can carry precision-guided bombs, the Pentagon
said.
"The proposed sale of these aircraft,
equipment and support will enhance the ability of the Iraqi forces to
sustain themselves in their efforts to bring stability to Iraq and to
prevent overflow of unrest into neighboring countries," the agency said
in a notice.
The sale is the latest in a series of US
weapons deals with Iraq as Baghdad seeks to bolster its armed forces
amid rising violence linked to Al-Qaeda militants and sectarian
divisions between the Shiite-led government and disgruntled Sunnis. Iraq has previously agreed to purchase 36 US F-16 fighter jets. This week's deal also included 200 "up-armored" Humvee vehicles with machine gun mounts, worth $101 million.
The vehicles will help "Iraq's ability to defend its oil infrastructure against terrorist attacks," the agency said.
Really makes you wonder. It was the Americans who armed Saddam Hussein in the 1980s during his war against Iran. Will history repeat itself? |
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Friday, May 16, 2014
Some people never learn..... Report from Middle East Online
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