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Iraq spends USD 5 billion on US defence deals
The US military announced it has struck deals with Iraq that will see Baghdad spend five billion dollars on American-made weapons, equipment and training.
The US military announced on Saturday it has struck deals with Iraq that will see Baghdad spend five billion dollars on American-made weapons, equipment and training.
The money is being spent on "military equipment, supplies and training from the US" through a foreign military sales programme, it said in a statement released in Baghdad.
The announcement was made following a meeting between Iraqi security officials and the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which reviews military sales between the two countries.
Approximately 20 members of the Iraqi defence ministry as well as officials from the interior ministry took part in the financial review, the statement said.
"The Iraqi security forces have already received approximately USD 1.5 billion in services, vehicles, aircraft parts, small arms, uniforms, and training," the statement quoted US army Colonel Kimberly Enderle as saying.
And they have made "commitments for an additional USD 3.5 billion in purchases," added Enderle, chief of accountability for the Security Assistance Office.
US Brigadier General Charles Luckey said the defence deals would "give each nation a wide variety of training opportunities", while an official from the security agency said they signalled "a commitment to a long-term relationship."
