French military shipment arrives in Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— The French consulate in Erbil announced Wednesday it had delivered two shipments of military aid to the ministry of Peshmerga as part of an earlier agreement to assist the Kurdish and Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State (ISIS).

 

The consulate announced that the two air deliveries, which included military equipment as well as uniforms and ammunition, had been made on June 11 and 14 directly to the Kurdish authorities.

 

The shipments came after French minister of defense Jean-Yves Le Drian’s April visit to Kurdistan region where he pledged continued support for the Kurdish forces.

 

France has been a key supporter of the anti-ISIS efforts in Iraq and also carried out several airstrikes on militants’ targets across the country.

 

French President François Hollande was among the first head of states that visited Kurdistan region in 2014 to show solidarity with the region after ISIS offensive in the country.

 

The consulate statement added that the cargo contained a number of MM98 missiles, hundreds of thousands of different ammunition and hand grenades. It also said other military equipment including night-vision binoculars and special-made army food had also been delivered.

 

Authorities in Kurdistan region have in the past expressed discontent with the Iraqi government’s distribution of the international arms assistance and requested to receive the support directly.

 

With more than 100,000 Peshmerga troops called to service since the war broke out with ISIS in August 2014, the Kurdish government has been under growing economic burden to maintain its troops amidst a major economic recession in the country exacerbated by the arrival of 1,5 million refugees.