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US now arming Iraq to fight the very al-Qaeda it has been funding
by Joseph Earnest January 7, 2014
Newscast Media BAGHDAD—In a twist of fate, the U.S. is now arming the Iraqi government to fight Al-Qaeda militants in the Middle East that we were led to believe are the good guys. What is ironic about this is, that same Al-Qaeda is being funded by the West to fight Syria's Assad. So on one hand, the West views them as the bad guys and is arming Iraq to fight and defeat them, on the other hand, the West views al-Qaeda as the good guys and is arming them to fight and defeat Assad. You can't make this stuff up!
The White House confirmed that the United States is "accelerating" its deliveries of military equipment to Iraq to help the government fight Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
The comments were made by White House spokesman Jay Carney on January 6
as fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) last
week seized parts of Fallujah and the nearby capital of Anbar Province,
Ramadi.
Carney told reporters in Washington that the United States was "looking
to provide an additional shipment of Hellfire missiles" as early as this
spring. In an effort to help Iraq track militant groups, the spokesman said the
United States would also provide more surveillance drones: 10 in the
upcoming weeks and another 48 later this year.
Carney added that Washington was "working closely with the Iraqis to
develop a holistic strategy to isolate the Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups."
But he insisted that Iraq must handle the conflict itself.
With hundreds of residents already fleeing shelling and air strikes by
government forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is calling on
residents of Fallujah to take action to expel the militants from the
city and avert an assault by the Iraqi Army.
In a statement broadcast on state-run television on January 6, Maliki
warned that Fallujah could face the "danger of armed clashes" if the
military moves in. The prime minister added that he had ordered security
forces not to attack in residential areas.
Iran, an ally of Maliki's government, has offered assistance. The
state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted the deputy chief of staff
of Iran’s military as offering "equipment and advice" to help in the
fight against the militants. However, General Mohammad Hejazi said there
had been no request from Baghdad for a joint operation.
The latest fighting broke out in Anbar Province, west of Baghdad, on
December 30 after a Sunni protest camp in Ramadi was dismantled by
government forces. The government had accused the camp of serving as a
base for Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Source: Radio Free Europe
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