Iraq considers deepening military ties with Russia

AP by Yahoo ^ | February 7, 2020 | QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and SAMYA KULLAB

[NorseViking]

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq and Russia discussed prospects for deepening military coordination, Iraq's Defense Ministry said Thursday, amid a strain in Baghdad-Washington relations after a U.S. airstrike killed a top Iranian general inside Iraq.

The ministry statement followed a meeting in Baghdad between Iraqi army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Othman Al-Ghanimi and Russian Ambassador Maksim Maksimov, as well as a newly arrived defense attache.

The meeting comes during an uncertain moment in the future of Iraq-U.S. military relations, following the Jan. 3 U .S. drone strike that killed Iran's most powerful military commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and Iraqi senior militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad airport. The attack prompted powerful Shiite parties to call for an overhaul of the existing strategic set-up between Iraq and the U.S.-led coalition.

Al-Ghanimi praised Moscow's role in the battle against the Islamic State group, saying they had provided “our armed forces with advanced and effective equipment and weapons that had a major role in resolving many battles," according to the ministry statement.

[Rashputin]

There are some real dummies in the defense machinery, they leak all sort of things to their pals in the media, usually in return for sex instead of money, then get their tighty whities in a wad over someone looking to France, Britain, Russia, or even China for weapons.

Maybe if it hadn't been so widely reported that the US had back-doors that allowed them to make things like SAMs inoperable countries wouldn't be looking elsewhere for weapons.

[Zhang Fei]

[Maybe if it hadn’t been so widely reported that the US had back-doors that allowed them to make things like SAMs inoperable countries wouldn’t be looking elsewhere for weapons. ]

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Nah - it’s the usual bribe-taking tendencies of Third World leaders. Buyers of Russian weaponry tend to rank very low on the corruption index (i.e. be very corrupt). Birds of a feather and all that.

[Rashputin]

No arms related trade anywhere on the planet is more corrupt than the US arms trade. Like it or not, that’s a fact.

[Farcesensitive]

Good, we should pack up and let Russia bleed there.

[jdsteel]

Cheap stuff that works......sometimes.

Unless you want to shoot down a passenger plane. Then it works OK.

[Sacajaweau]

https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/01/16/russia.iraq/index.html

[NorseViking]

Iraq and Russia has a long history as allies. It is not a surprise.

[Sacajaweau]

I agree. They lost a bundle when we went to Iraq.

[Zhang Fei]

[No arms related trade anywhere on the planet is more corrupt than the US arms trade. Like it or not, that’s a fact.]

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To paraphrase Yoda, that’s true, from a Russian point of view. It’s pretty obvious that deals made between Russia and its notoriously corrupt friends are clean, whereas deals between the US and First World countries are dirty. Again, from a Russian point of view.

[ryderann]

Sure...Trump’s not going to let Iraq suck up our resources much longer so they need to look elsewhere.

[Redwood71]

This article is a real looser. First of all, the writers, QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and SAMYA KULLAB, are supporters of Iraqi Hezbollah writing for the Iraqi Times.

And finally, Russia is already one of the two largest suppliers of arms to Iraq. The other is the US.

Known active Iraqi inventory from Russia:

Transports - Antonov An-178
Helicopters – Mil Mi 17, 24, and 28
Armor – T-90, T-72, and the BREM-1
Light Armor – BRDM-2, BMP-1, BTR-80, BTR-4, BTR-94
Multiple Rocket Launchers – TOS-1
Air Defense (mobile sams) – Pantsir-S1

Know Iraqi inventory from the US:

Helicopters – Bell 407, UH-1, OH-58
Heavy Armor – M1 Abrams, M-88 Hercules
Light Armor – HMMWV, Cougar, M113, M1117
Artillery – M109, M198
Air Defense (mobile sams) TWG-1 Avenger

And in every one of these comparisons, there equals are at least the same if not more Russian devices than US. So where is the threat? It’s already there.

rwood