Iraq's Prime Minister Abadi to seek US help in obtaining billions of dollars in drones, other weapons
Prime Minister Abadi will ask for Obama's aid in obtaining billions of dollars in drones, other weapons to fight Islamic State during visit
Iraq's prime minister would seek President Barack Obama's help to acquire billions of dollars in drones and other US arms to fight Islamic State during a visit to the US this week but wanted to defer payment for the purchases, a senior Iraqi official said.
Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi is grappling with an insurgency by militants from Islamic State, an al-Qaeda offshoot that emerged from the chaos in Iraq and neighbouring Syria and seized much of northern and central Iraq last year.
He is also facing a cash crunch thanks to a plunge in oil prices that is ravaging Iraq's state finances. The government is projecting a budget deficit of roughly US$21 billion this year.
Visiting Washington for the first time as prime minister, Abadi hopes to convince a war-weary United States Iraq deserves more US manpower and arms three years after US troops withdrew from the country in December 2011, as his fledgling army confronts Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL.
"ISIS is everybody's problem now," said the senior Iraqi official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "You can't run away from the problem if it comes to Canada or goes to France," he said in reference to attacks by people influenced by Islamic State or al-Qaeda in those countries.
The senior Iraqi official hinted Baghdad could turn to Tehran if it did not get the aid it wanted from Washington.
"If that's not available, we've already done it with the Iranians and others," he said, saying that was not the first choice.
"The PM is committed to the US... What he also wants to make sure is that he has a partner that he can rely on."
Obama in August authorised the first US air strikes on Iraq since the US withdrawal and has deployed about 3,000 American military forces to help Iraq to battle the group. But Obama has also imposed limits on the US military role on the ground to training and advising Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
The official said Abadi, who is to meet Obama tomorrow, wanted to explore obtaining a series of advanced weapons, including unarmed drone aircraft, Apache attack helicopters and ammunition. He will also seek permission to postpone payment for the weaponry.
"We're talking about billions here," he said. "This is a new approach for us because of the scale of the challenge we have ahead. Mosul and Nineveh province and Anbar will cost us a lot."
National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said the United States would continue to consult Iraq's leaders to ensure they had what they needed to fight Islamic State.
"The United States is committed to providing essential equipment to Iraqi security forces, including Kurdish forces, as part of the coalition fight against ISIL," he said.
Aware of the time it takes to train pilots, one possibility that could also be explored during Abadi's visit would be the US loaning Apaches to Iraq, along with the pilots to fly them. Likely payment terms on those and the other arrangements for US arms were unclear.
The Iraqi government on April 2 claimed victory over Islamic State insurgents in Tikrit after a month-long battle for the city supported by Shiite militiamen and US-led air strikes, an achievement marred by complaints of looting and burning of homes in the Sunni city.
Seeking to gain momentum, Iraqi security forces on Wednesday launched a new offensive against Islamic State in the Sunni Muslim heartland of Anbar.
They are eventually expected to move on to Nineveh and its capital Mosul, the group's stronghold.
