The U.S. Has Started Supplying the Iraqi Army from a Dedicated Fund

In recent days, news agencies have reported that the United States has quietly begun sending promised aid to the Iraqi army from a $1.6 billion fund allocated for this purpose. Reuters, citing official sources, states that the delivery of equipment from the so-called 'Iraq Training and Equipment Fund' has been ongoing for two weeks and is continuing at the fastest pace possible. The U.S. Department of Defense had submitted its $1.6 billion budget request for Iraq to the U.S. Congress at the end of last year. This aid is part of Barack Obama's request for an additional $5.6 billion budget for 'overseas contingency operations' (OCO), specifically aimed at combating the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi criticized the performance of the international coalition against ISIS and called for more support, particularly in military assistance. Reuters quotes Douglas Ollivant, a former advisor to the Obama and Bush administrations on Iraq, stating that 'they criticize the slow pace of the program. But the reality is that this is a slow system.' Reports indicate that the first aid sent from the Iraq fund includes automatic weapons, grenade launchers, mortars, and protective masks. Elissa Smith, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, also stated that more assistance is on the way. According to Ms. Smith, the aid being sent is only part of several shipments planned, including for Kurdish Peshmerga forces. At the end of May, forces from the group known as the 'Islamic State' captured Ramadi, the center of Iraq's largest province, Anbar. A few days later, they fully seized a border point between Iraq and Syria, solidifying their control over the borders of both countries and taking control of the main road between Syria and Anbar province. In this context, U.S. airstrikes have reportedly killed '10,000' ISIS militants. The United Nations has requested $500 million for humanitarian assistance in Iraq. Tariq Aziz, the former foreign minister and deputy of Saddam Hussein, has passed away.