US sending arms to Kurds in Iraq
In this Aug. 8, 2014, photo, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand guard during airstrikes targeting Islamic State militants at the Khazer checkpoint outside of the city of Irbil in northern Iraq. AP
SYDNEY — Senior U.S. officials say the Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against Islamic militants in Iraq.
The U.S. previously had insisted on only selling arms to the Iraqi government. The officials wouldn’t say which U.S. agency is providing the arms or what weapons are being sent, but one official said it isn’t the Pentagon. The CIA has historically done similar arming operations.
Officials say the administration is close to approving plans for the Pentagon to arm the Kurds. Recently the U.S. military has been helping facilitate weapons deliveries from the Iraqis to the Kurds, who had been losing ground to the Islamic State.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation publicly.
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