U.S. To Provide Arms To Iraq's Sunni Tribesmen

Tribal fighters take part in a military training to prepare for fighting against Islamic State militants, at the Ain al-Assad military base in Anbar province November 15, 2014. Picture taken November 15, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

U.S. Plans To Arm Iraq's Sunni Tribesmen With AK-47s, RPGs, Mortars -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The United States plans to buy arms for Sunni tribesmen in Iraq including AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds to help bolster the battle against Islamic State militants in Anbar province, according to a Pentagon document prepared for Congress.

The plan to spend $24.1 million represents a small fraction of the larger, $1.6 billion spending request to Congress focusing on training and arming Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

But the document underscored the importance the Pentagon places on the Sunni tribesmen to its overall strategy to diminish Islamic State, and cautioned Congress about the consequences of failing to assist them.

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More News On The U.S. Providing Arms To Iraq's Sunni Tribesmen

Iraqi Premier, US Look to Aid Islamic State Battle-- ABC/AP
U.S. plans to arm Iraq’s Anbar tribesmen -- Al Arabiya
Pentagon Plans To Arm Tribes In Iraq With AK-47s, Grenades To Fight Islamic State -- IBTimes
U.S. plans to arm Iraq's Sunni tribesmen -- World Bulletin

My Comment: The fact that the Iraqi government has agreed to this program tells me that they must be desperate and deeply worried that they are about to lose the "Sunni heartland".