By John Lee. The Italian government has joined Germany and France in saying they are preparing to send arms and other assistance to both Kurdish aligned forces and the federal government of Iraq in Baghdad. The move follows a visit to Iraq by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who announced on his return that Italy […]
By John Lee. Following on from France's move to rapidly supply Kurdish Peshmerga led forces with arms and equipment, Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence has pledged "non lethal aid" to the Iraqi army. Typically, non-lethal aid is sent when a matter is politically sensitive, or if a government has reservations about supplying one side in […]
By John Lee. The New York Times has reported that French President Francois Hollande has endorsed the appointment of Haider al-Abadi as Iraq's new PM, and with Baghdad's approval France is now ready to send arms to Kurdish forces. The move comes after the Kurdish President Massoud Barzani remarked that the Peshmerga were not sufficiently […]
By Patrick Schmidt. Following recent gains of Kurdish security forces, in addition to a recent setback in Jalawla in northern Diyala, American officials have hinted that various government agencies have begun supplying Kurdistan with weapons to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). To date, America has mostly focused its attention on […]
The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for M1151A1 Up-Armored High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $101 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale […]
By John Lee. The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for Aerostats and Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment tower systems and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $90 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this […]
By John Lee. The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for AT-6C Texan II aircraft (similar to the Moroccan Air Force plane pictured) and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $790 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the […]
By Omar al-Jaffal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi government held a conference on combating international terrorism on March 12-13 in Baghdad, in which it suspended its official work on the opening day of the conference. Although the official reason for the […]
By John Lee. An investigation by Reuters has found that Iraq has purchased $195 million worth of small arms, ammunition and infantry kit from Iran, in addition to artillery ammunition. The move will likely unnerve some observers in the US, but analysts are still divided over the extent of Iranian influence in Iraq. Touted by an […]
By John Lee. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad in a rare Chinese high level diplomatic mission to Baghdad. The two men discussed increased Sino-Iraqi cooperation in areas such as oil development and arms sales. Until recently, Iraq has been frustrated by slow deliveries of weapons systems from […]
By John Lee. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has signed a $1.1 billion contract with Iraq to export T-50 supersonic advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft. The deal for the 24 aircraft, which includes the training of Iraqi pilots, was signed today in Baghdad by KAI's President and CEO, Ha Sung-yong, Defense Acquisition Program Administration's […]
According to Al Arabiya, the Pentagon has notified the U.S. Congress of $2.7 billion in possible new sales to Iraq of air defense and communications systems. The most recent contracts would raise the value of a series of U.S. arms sales to Iraq that have been sent to Congress over the past two weeks to nearly $5 […]
