________ A to Z kerala .......... [kvk] [www.atozkerala.in , www.atozkerala.blogspot.com]
A much-needed RAAF arms delivery to Kurdish troops battling the brutal Islamic State was grounded in Baghdad for a day because of an Iraqi government delay.
Kurdish leaders in the country's north have expressed anger at what they see as Baghdad's meddling over international arms deliveries, underscoring the sensitivities in the fragmented nation, which is under threat from the onslaught by the extremists.
The revelations came as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister David Johnston discussed Australia's possible military involvement in Iraq with counterparts from NATO at a summit in Wales.
Dr Rowsch Shaways, the outgoing deputy prime minister of Iraq and former Peshmerga commander, said long-standing tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government were delaying the arrival of these weapons being delivered by Australia and Western partners. He accused the Iraqi government of preventing the delivery of the weapons in order to "keep the Peshmerga weak – a policy that has been a constant of the Baghdad government for years".
An official from the Ministry of the Peshmerga repeated the allegations.
RAAF C-17 transport planes have delivered two loads of weapons and ammunition to the Kurdish city of Erbil in northern Iraq in the past week, as part of a co-ordinated international effort to bolster the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, who are bearing the brunt of fighting Islamic State in the north.
In both cases, the Iraqi government has given its approval for the deliveries. The deliveries both needed to go through Baghdad to clear customs.
But Fairfax Media understands that on the second occasion, Baghdad officials temporarily rescinded their approval, leaving the RAAF plane and its crew stuck on the ground in the capital for about 24 hours. The approval was then reinstated, allowing the delivery to Erbil to go ahead.
This is understood to have reflected Baghdad's view that Western efforts including the arms deliveries should be helping Iraq as a country, not just the Kurds in the north.
The ADF is expected to carry out further weapons and munitions drops to the Kurds in coming days.
The Abbott government is considering contributing to an expanded, US-led air strike campaign in Iraq, possibly with Super Hornet fighter planes.
The NATO leaders agreed that bigger sanctions, not direct military intervention, would be the best way to push Russia out of Ukraine.
With Nick Miller
The story Ir
അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളൊന്നുമില്ല:
ഒരു അഭിപ്രായം പോസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്യൂ