Baghdad - The Obama administration is moving ahead with the sale of nearly $11 billion worth of arms and training for the Iraqi military despite concerns that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is seeking to consolidate authority, create a one-party Shiite-dominated state and abandon the American-backed power-sharing government.
The military aid, including advanced fighter jets and battle tanks, is meant to help the Iraqi government protect its borders and rebuild a military that before the 1991 Persian Gulf war was one of the largest in the world; it was disbanded in 2003 after the United States invasion.
But the sales of the weapons — some of which have already been delivered — are moving ahead even though Mr. Maliki has failed to carry out an agreement that would have limited his ability to marginalize the Sunnis and turn the military into a sectarian force. While the United States is eager to beef up Iraq’s military, at least in part as a hedge against Iranian influence, there are also fears that the move could backfire if the Baghdad government ultimately aligns more closely with the Shiite theocracy in Tehran than with Washington.
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2 comments:
Mark my words. The Iraqies will be using those weapons against us very soon.
I guess Obama wasn't happy with giving weapons to the Mexican drug cartels.
We have NO representation for the good of American citizens in our present federal government. They're concerned about increasing their own wealth, the rights of queers, promoting anything muslem, and proping up the banks where they have their money. They are traitors to us all and we all know what should be done with traitors to our country.
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