Iraq receives shipment of 36 Russian T-90 battle tanks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq has received 36 Russian T-90 tanks to boost its army’s capabilities, an Iraqi army official revealed on Monday.

Iraqi army chief of staff Othman al-Ghanmi said a batch of at least three dozen Russian tanks had arrived at the port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq on Feb. 15 and were later moved to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

About two years ago, Iraq signed a deal with Russia for the supply of 73 Russian T-90 battle tanks worth one billion dollars.

According to Ghanmi, who spoke to reporters in Basra, the deal includes the supply of “a full armored brigade,” and will be completed by the end of April.

“The tanks used by the Russian army, supplied to Iraq, will increase the capability of the Iraqi armed forces,” he added.

Meanwhile, the head of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Hakim al-Zamili, was quoted by Russian media as saying “the transfer of the T-90 tanks will make a strategic change in Iraq’s military structure.”

The T-90 is a third-generation Russian-made battle tank that was built and distributed in 1993. The tank is designed from the Soviet T-72 tank, the most modern of the Russian army.

The news of Russia’s delivery comes as the US Air Force had also announced it would ship a new batch of F-16 fighter jets to the Iraqi air force as part of a deal signed in 2011.

Baghdad and Washington signed an agreement several years ago for the purchase and delivery of 36 F-16 fighter jets. Iraq got the first batch in July 2015 and is expected to receive the rest over the course of next year.