(Washington, DC) – As the fight against ISIS intensifies, President Trump has made a key decision to equip Kurdish forces involved in the fight to retake Raqqa, Syria with what officials are classifying as “medium” sized weapons. A government official speaking off the record said that these weapons would include heavy machines guns, rockets, and mortars. This follows a Department of State authorization to sell weapons directly to the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq who are currently fighting the Islamic State there.
Raqqa is considered a key objective in the battle raging inside Syria, which ISIS has declared as the capital of the Islamic State. The weapons would be going to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which also includes Arab fighters and is currently fighting to sieze control of Raqqa from the ISIS terrorists currently in control.
The chief spokesperson for the Pentagon, Dana White, stated that the SDF is the “only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future.” White also acknowledged that this success would be relying on support from U.S. and coalition forces. However, Turkey is expected to object to the deal as they consider the Kurdish fighters battling ISIS to be terrorists.
Tensions are expected to be especially high, as the Kurdish YPG will also be receiving weapons through the SDF. Previously, under the Obama administration, Turkey objected to U.S. Special Forces soldiers being embedded with YPG forces after photos were released of the Americans wearing YPG patches. It remains to be seen how the Trump administration will react to Turkey’s anger. White House spokesman Sean Spicer simply stated that the U.S. would work to “prevent additional security risks” to Turkey, referring to the Kurdish volunteers fighting ISIS and not the Islamic State itself.
US to Equip Kurdish Peshmerga Forces to Eliminate ISIS in $300M Deal
April 22, 2017
By Chris Erickson; OpsLens:
A request by the Republic of Iraq for military equipment for artillery and infantry units has been approved by the Department of State. The announcement comes from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Department of Defense agency that provides financial and technical assistance, transfers defense materials, provides training to allies, and promotes military-to-military contacts. The deal is worth a reported $295.6 million and is now waiting for final congressional approval.
The equipment was requested to fully outfit two Peshmerga (meaning “those who confront death”)-infantry brigades and two artillery battalions. While the Iraqi government requested the foreign military sale from the US Department of State, the equipment will be going to units that are operated by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga (MOP).
During the rise of the Islamic State in early 2014, most of the terrorist group’s weapons were obtained when Iraqi security forces abandoned their equipment. This resulted in jihadists operating armored vehicles, including tanks, that had been given to the Iraqi government by the United States. However, the Kurdish Peshmerga held their ground and actually drove ISIS back in several instances. The Peshmerga also managed to recapture some of the Iraqi Army’s equipment as both Iraqi Army soldiers and ISIS fighters fled and died on the battlefield.
After ISIS’ major offensive in August of 2014, the United States and seven other western nations pledged to provide the Peshmerga with weapons and ammunition. However, the Iraqi government has a history of trying to prevent Kurds from acquiring weapons out of fear that they will then seek to make the Kurdish region an independent state. Members of the Kurdish government have made claims that Iraq was preventing these shipments from the west from reaching their security forces and that equipment needed to be delivered directly to them.
Included in the deal would be 4,400 M16A4 rifles, 46 M2HB .50 caliber machines guns, 186 M240B machines guns, 35 standard M1151 Humvees, 77 M1151 up-armored Humvees, 36 M119A2 105mm howitzers, and other assorted equipment. The Peshmerga is currently involved in operations to retake Mosul from ISIS control; they are part of a coalition that includes Shiite militias supported by the former enemy of Iraq (and current oppositional government to the US), the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In addition to the hesitations of the Iraqi government to allow the men defending the country to be armed, the government of Turkey inevitably protests anytime the United States assists the Kurds. During the siege of Kobane in 2014, the Kurds accused the Turkish government of not only blocking support for the Kobane Kurds, but actively supporting ISIS during the battle. In 2015, Turkey bombed Syrian Kurdish militia bases, and a Kurdish group called the PKK shot down a Turkish military helicopter in 2016.
Despite the tensions that will surely be raised politically in the area, the far greater threat to the region is an ISIS that is not resoundingly defeated in Iraq. The campaign to completely clear Mosul from the grips of ISIS has bogged down in the last few months and risks becoming a costly quagmire for the forces committed to the mission.
The agreement was determined by the State Department to not significantly sway military balance in the region, nor would it adversely impact the readiness of the United States military. Most importantly of all, the deal does not require the deployment of any additional American military or contractor personnel to the area. The sooner Congress approves the deal, the sooner the ISIS threat can be eliminated in Iraq, and fewer Americans committed to fighting this war will be necessary.
