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U.S. Senate rejects directly arming Iraqi Kurdistan in Islamic State fight
Saturday, 20 June, 2015
Follow up (AIN) -U.S. Senate stalemated Tuesday afternoon on the best strategy to fight the Islamic State, failing to approve an amendment that would allow the administration to go around the central Iraqi government and directly arm Kurdish forces.
The amendment to the annual defense policy bill from Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican and a combat veteran of Iraq, failed on a 54-45 vote. It would have allowed the U.S. to provide equipment ranging from anti-tank weaponry to body armor and communications equipment to the Kurdish peshmerga, one of the more capable fighting forces currently taking on the Islamic State (IS).
“I remain committed to supporting the Iraqi Kurds who are the key partners in defeating IS,” Mrs. Ernst said in a statement. “The United States simply cannot afford any delays in arming our Kurdish partner on the ground at such a critical moment.”
While senators shot down Mrs. Ernst’s proposal, they overwhelmingly supported moving the overall defense policy bill forward with a 83-15 procedural vote. Democrats had threatened to stall the bill over funding that adds to a war chest instead of removing sequestration caps, but most ultimately supported moving the bill forward — though some have said they will fight the overseas contingency operations funding method on the defense appropriations bill instead.
The president has vowed to veto the defense policy bill with the war chest funding because it alleviates the pressure sequestration places on the military, but does not give any relief to other organizations crucial to defending the homeland, like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, as well as other domestic programs.
The amendment from Mrs. Ernst didn’t break along party lines. Seven Democrats voted for the measure, while seven Republicans, including chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker, Tennessee Republican, voted against it.
Some lawmakers, including many Republican 2016 presidential candidates, have said that arming the Kurdish peshmerga is necessary to defeat the Islamic State, especially as the Iraqi Security Forces have faced recent setbacks in losing control of Ramadi. Analysts say that providing arms directly to the Kurds would be a significant step forward in the fight, since weapons provided to the Shiite central government often don’t reach Sunni or Kurdish fighters. The administration is unlikely to undermine the central Iraqi government it has spent more than a decade building up.
When asked about if the military would support a proposal to provide weapons directly to the Kurdish peshmerga, Col. Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman, emphasized that the military’s strategy in defeating the Islamic State hinged on a unified Iraq.
“Our policy remains that we believe a unified Iraq is the key to success here,” he said. “Our policy remains that weapons and munitions are provided to the central government of Iraq for distribution.”
Need to be mentioned that Iraqi Kurdistan Region has no unified army, the Kurdish fighters considered as militias belonging to the Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP led by Massoud Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK led by Jalal Talabani.
Kurdish officials have repeatedly said Baghdad hinders weapons deliveries to Kurdish forces and have been lobbying Washington to change its position on the matter. The KRG claim the delays have cost lives of thousands of Kurds fighting IS.
According to Kurdistan Regional Government statistics, nearly 1,200 Kurdish troops have been killed since the war with IS began last year and another 7,000 have been wounded.
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Saturday, 20 June, 2015
Follow up (AIN) -U.S. Senate stalemated Tuesday afternoon on the best strategy to fight the Islamic State, failing to approve an amendment that would allow the administration to go around the central Iraqi government and directly arm Kurdish forces.
The amendment to the annual defense policy bill from Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican and a combat veteran of Iraq, failed on a 54-45 vote. It would have allowed the U.S. to provide equipment ranging from anti-tank weaponry to body armor and communications equipment to the Kurdish peshmerga, one of the more capable fighting forces currently taking on the Islamic State (IS).
“I remain committed to supporting the Iraqi Kurds who are the key partners in defeating IS,” Mrs. Ernst said in a statement. “The United States simply cannot afford any delays in arming our Kurdish partner on the ground at such a critical moment.”
While senators shot down Mrs. Ernst’s proposal, they overwhelmingly supported moving the overall defense policy bill forward with a 83-15 procedural vote. Democrats had threatened to stall the bill over funding that adds to a war chest instead of removing sequestration caps, but most ultimately supported moving the bill forward — though some have said they will fight the overseas contingency operations funding method on the defense appropriations bill instead.
The president has vowed to veto the defense policy bill with the war chest funding because it alleviates the pressure sequestration places on the military, but does not give any relief to other organizations crucial to defending the homeland, like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, as well as other domestic programs.
The amendment from Mrs. Ernst didn’t break along party lines. Seven Democrats voted for the measure, while seven Republicans, including chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker, Tennessee Republican, voted against it.
Some lawmakers, including many Republican 2016 presidential candidates, have said that arming the Kurdish peshmerga is necessary to defeat the Islamic State, especially as the Iraqi Security Forces have faced recent setbacks in losing control of Ramadi. Analysts say that providing arms directly to the Kurds would be a significant step forward in the fight, since weapons provided to the Shiite central government often don’t reach Sunni or Kurdish fighters. The administration is unlikely to undermine the central Iraqi government it has spent more than a decade building up.
When asked about if the military would support a proposal to provide weapons directly to the Kurdish peshmerga, Col. Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman, emphasized that the military’s strategy in defeating the Islamic State hinged on a unified Iraq.
“Our policy remains that we believe a unified Iraq is the key to success here,” he said. “Our policy remains that weapons and munitions are provided to the central government of Iraq for distribution.”
Need to be mentioned that Iraqi Kurdistan Region has no unified army, the Kurdish fighters considered as militias belonging to the Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP led by Massoud Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK led by Jalal Talabani.
Kurdish officials have repeatedly said Baghdad hinders weapons deliveries to Kurdish forces and have been lobbying Washington to change its position on the matter. The KRG claim the delays have cost lives of thousands of Kurds fighting IS.
According to Kurdistan Regional Government statistics, nearly 1,200 Kurdish troops have been killed since the war with IS began last year and another 7,000 have been wounded.
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