Posted on 08/26/2014 8:20:40 PM PDT by GonzoII
WASHINGTON — The international effort to help Iraqis fight Islamic militants is heating up, with seven additional countries agreeing to provide arms to the Kurdish peshmerga forces.
Albania, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Italy and the U.K. have committed to giving weapons and equipment to the embattled Kurds, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes about two weeks after Hagel set up a working group to find ways to accelerate arms deliveries to the Kurds.
The Defense Department said the materiel is “urgently needed” as the Kurds take on the militant group known as the Islamic State, which has taken over much of Iraq and Syria.
The supply efforts “have already begun and will accelerate in the coming days with more nations also expected to contribute,” Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a statement.
He did not indicate which additional countries he anticipates will join the coalition.
Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said the U.K. and Albania have already started delivering additional military gear to the Kurds.
“This multinational effort, which is being coordinated with the Government of Iraq in Baghdad, will greatly assist Kurdish forces in repelling the brutal terrorist threat they face from [the Islamic State],” Hagel said.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
Why not just announce that a coalition has been created without naming names???
U.S. Mobilizes Allies to Widen Assault on ISIS
8-26-14
(excerpt)
As Mr. Obama considered new strikes, the White House began its diplomatic campaign to enlist allies and neighbors in the region to increase their support for Syria’s moderate opposition and, in some cases, to provide support for possible American military operations. The countries likely to be enlisted include Australia, Britain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, officials said.
The officials, who asked not be named discussing sensitive internal deliberations, said they expected that Britain and Australia would be willing to join the United States in an air campaign. The officials said they also wanted help from Turkey, which has military bases that could be used to support an effort in Syria.
good news!
Yes, any help these poor folks can get is a positive.
The title really ought to read "Arms flow to Iraqi Shiites increases". Because the Kurds appear to be getting nothing, and will continue to get nothing as long as the Iraqi government is the middleman.
Well gosh, they forgot to put in the name of the U.S.
if numbskull Bush senior had done that for the rebellious good Iraqis after the first gulf war, effectively, we would not have had to invade in the second war! Daaaaaa! Instead, they let them get slaughtered by SaDAAM.
From Bush to zero, now we are the leaders of the coalition of the unwilling.
Typical coward RINO behavior.
WRONG. I know for a fact you’re wrong.
Glad to hear it.
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