U.S. Sends Arms Directly To Kurdish Forces In Iraq to Combat ISIS
The United States confirmed Monday that it would be sending arms directly to Iraq's Kurdish forces to combat the growingly-powerful Islamic State. This announcement comes after the U.S. performed airstrikes in the Middle Eastern country and provided humanitarian airdrops to stranded religious minorities.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to the Associated Press Monday that the arms would be supplied directly to the Kurdish forces to combat the Isamic State, the militant jihadist group that they have been losing to in recent weeks. Previously, the U.S. only sold arms to the Iraqi government.
The U.S. official added to the Associated Press that the Pentagon will not be supplying the arms, and it remains unclear which U.S. agency will allocate the weapons to the Kurdish forces, saying only that the fighters will be "getting arms from various sources. They are being rearmed."
The United States' decision to arm Kurdish forces comes as the Islamic State takes control of more areas of Iraq's north and Syria's east. Reports of intense persecution of religious minorities as a result of Islamic State occupation prompted president Barack Obama to announce last week that the U.S. would be conducting airstrikes on the Islamic State to knock out artillery and militants. Additionally, Obama said the U.S. would be providing aid in the form of food and water to religious minorities displaced by the Islamic State.
On Saturday, the president clarified that the U.S. will not be sending troops into Iraq to help with the current crisis. "Ultimately, only Iraqis can ensure the security and stability of Iraq. The United States can't do it for them, but we can and will be partners in that effort," he told reporters while speaking on the White House's South Lawn.
