US to Deliver Arms to Peshmerga Forces: Official

The United States will deliver another military assistance to the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan Region in the near future, said Chief of General Staff of the Peshmerga Forces Jamal Imniki.

Speaking to BasNews, Imniki said the new shipment will contain heavy arms, military equipment, spare parts, and armored vehicles for the 14th and 16th brigades of the Peshmerga forces.

“The United States has confirmed that it will continue military assistance for another 10 brigades of the Peshmerga ministry,” Imniki pointed out, emphasizing that Washington will also continue with its military trainings for the Kurdish troops.

Kurds played a decisive role in the war against the Islamic State (IS) as part of the joint efforts with the US-led Coalition. Washington and other members of the Coalition have been arming and training the Peshmerga troops since 2014.

However, in the wake of the heightened tensions between the US and Iran after the killing of Tehran’s top general Qasem Soleimani, the US-led Coalition suspended training Peshmerga and Iraqi armed forces as part of security measures it put in place to protect its personnel on the ground.

Last Thursday, Germany, which is a key member of the Coalition, announced the resumption of its training program in Erbil while noting that the mission in Baghdad remains suspended until further notice.