SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The U.S.-led Coalition forces provided new logistical aid to the Peshmerga forces on Monday, Colonel Wayne Marotto said on Tuesday.
“The Peshmerga is a vital part of the mission to defeat Daesh and the Coalition is committed to our continued partnership,” Coalition spokesman Marotto said in a tweet.
He used an Arabic acronym for Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
The Ministry of Peshmerga said in a statement that another amount of aid and assistance provided by the Coalition forces was handed over to the ministry’s directorate of logistics on Monday.
Advisor to the Global Coalition in the Kurdistan Region Col. Will Davis said the aid was part of a training and equip program to eliminate ISIS, according to the Peshmerga ministry.
“Over the past five years, coalition forces have provided financial and logistical support to the Peshmerga ministry,” Davis was quoted as saying.
The ministry further said the aid included vehicles, weapons, explosives and military equipment as well as an amount of money to pay monthly salary of the Peshmerga infantry brigades.
“The aim of these aids is to strengthen the capabilities of the forces to confront terrorists, which is a continuing process of the coalition forces, through this way we want to provide assistance and aid to the Peshmerga infantry brigades,” the statement quoted Davis as saying.
Director of logistics in the Peshmerga ministry Brigadier General Amir Kareem Khurshid said the Coalition’s assistance for the Peshmerga forces “is very important”.
“The cooperation between Peshmerga and the Global Coalition is necessary and important so that we can build a strong force by all sides to confront terrorists,” he said.
In January, the Coalition forces supplied the Peshmerga forces with more military aid worth around $12.5 million.
The assistance included 100 vehicles such as Humvees, light cargo vehicles, tactical armored vehicles and ambulances.
In December, the U.S.-led Coalition forces told Esta Media Network that it had funded more than $5 billion of support to equip and train Iraqi and Kurdish forces since 2014.
