Sen. John McCain: US needs to arm Peshmerga directly

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan24) - Senator John McCain is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. No US legislator speaks with greater authority than he does on military matters.

In a brief interview with Kurdistan24, the highly regarded and influential lawmaker called for providing arms directly to the Peshmerga.

“The Peshmerga are the most effective fighters,” he stated. 

McCain explained that the Peshmerga need proper “arming, training, and equipping.” He then added five words: “Sometimes, it may mean direct.”

The importance of the Senator's statement cannot be overstated. Under outgoing US President Barack Obama, US policy toward the Kurdistan Region was inhibited by a concern for maintaining the unity of Iraq. 

Obama's stance is often described as a “one Iraq policy.” In practice, it has meant subordinating the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to the Government of Iraq. 

US dealings with Erbil have almost always been subject to a veto from Baghdad. 

This policy goes back decades—to the time of Saddam Hussein, and even when there was no KRG. It takes no account of change, and Kurdish diplomats regularly complain about it.

The “one-Iraq policy” still prevails, although in many respects, the Kurdish government has proven more capable and competent than the Iraqi government. Moreover, Erbil’s policies are consistently more pro-American than those of Baghdad, where Tehran exerts significant influence.

Thus, last July, when the US hosted an international donors’ conference to address the humanitarian needs of refugees and other persons in Iraq displaced by the conflict with the Islamic State (IS), Baghdad was fully represented by its Foreign Minister, Ibrahim al-Jafaari.

Jafaari, however, did not want Kurdish representation in the Iraqi delegation—even though the Kurdistan Region hosts two-thirds of the displaced people in Iraq.  Nevertheless, the Obama administration bowed to Jafaari’s wishes—even though he is known as a sectarian figure.

The KRG protested the Obama administration’s decision and secured a last minute invitation which allowed the KRG representative in Washington to attend the conference as an observer. That was still inadequate and prompted a public complaint from Erbil.

Retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, who oversaw Operation Provide Comfort in 1991 and temporarily commanded Iraqi reconstruction in 2003, describes the relative failure that post-war Iraq has proven to be and the Kurdistan Region’s relative success in this fashion, “Kurdish Iraq is the Iraq we wanted to have. Kurdistan is what we wanted Iraq to be.”

Last April, the Defense Department concluded an agreement with Erbil that provided for the direct US arming of two brigades of Peshmerga. 

This exception to the “one Iraq policy” followed an unusually harsh report from the Pentagon’s own Inspector General, which criticized the US army for its failure to deliver promised arms to the Peshmerga.

The agreement, however, did not solve the problem of the Peshmerga’s chronic shortage of proper weapons. 

Donald Trump will assume office in less than a week and will initiate many new policies challenging the Washington establishment. 

Trump has repeatedly said that IS is the greatest threat to US national security, and he intends to destroy it speedily and ruthlessly. 

Will Obama’s failure to adequately arm the Peshmerga be corrected? Sen. McCain’s declaration that the US must directly arm the Peshmerga is the obvious solution.

Editing by Delovan Barwari 

(Rahim Rashidi conducted the interview in Washington DC)