U.S. Committee agrees to directly arm Kurds

WASHINGTON (K24) – On Wednesday, The House Foreign Affairs Committee in the United States passed a bipartisan bill that would authorize the U.S. to directly train as well as arm Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their ongoing fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) recognized the difficulty as well as delay involved in currently sending military support to the Kurds due to existing laws that require the military flow to funnel through Baghdad first instead of directly to the Kurds in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.

“Kurdish forces in northern Iraq have been some of our closest partners in the fight against ISIS,” Royce said at a hearing to mark up the bill. “This legislation removes those roadblocks.”

The process of directly arming the Kurds is controversial because it involves bypassing the central government in Baghdad, which has been opposed to directly arming the Kurdish forces, known as Peshmerga. In addition, Iran-backed Shiite militias also oppose directly arming the Kurds. Both groups fear an undermining of their control and authority if the Kurds receive an extra boost to their autonomy.

The bipartisan bill authorizes U.S. President Barack Obama to provide equipment, weapons, and military training directly to Kurds for a period of three years. The bill also encourages the President to continuously consult with the Iraqi government to ensure that these weapons are used in conjunction with the U.S.’s goal of defeating IS. Authorized weapons would include anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles, and large-range artillery, amongst others.

With over 160,000 Peshmerga forces fighting IS in Iraq, Rep. Royce reflected on the number of casualties and injuries to Peshmerga (about 8,500), recognizing their need for more weapons.

“A lot of those losses are caused by the fact they’re outmatched by firepower,” he said. “Rather than fleeing from ISIS, they stand to fight with antiquated weapons.”

Several Democrats on the committee also agreed that arming the Kurds was necessary in the fight against IS.

Eliot Engel (D-NY), the Committee’s ranking Democrat, said, “We need to make sure the Kurds have everything they need to defend themselves.”

“They can’t take on ISIS all by themselves,” he added.

Royce had previously introduced a House bill to directly arm the Kurds, but it failed. After reintroducing it in March, the Committee unanimously voted to pass it.

The Kurdish Peshmerga have been aggressive in their fight against IS since 2014. Recently, in November, the Peshmerga with the aid of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes successfully liberated the city of Sinjar that was occupied by IS for over a year.

Click here to view the complete bill.