Iraq to Spend $5 Billion on U.S. Weapons

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military announced Feb. 14 it has struck deals with Iraq that will see Baghdad spend $5 billion on American-made weapons, equipment and training.The money is being spent on "military equipment, supplies and training from the U.S." through a foreign military sales program, it said in a statement released in Baghdad.The announcement was made following a meeting between Iraqi security officials and the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which reviews military sales between the countries.About 20 members of the Iraqi defense ministry, as well as officials from the interior ministry, took part in the financial review, the statement said."The Iraqi security forces have already received approximately $1.5 billion in services, vehicles, aircraft parts, small arms, uniforms, and training," the statement quoted U.S. Army Col. Kimberly Enderle as saying.And they have made "commitments for an additional $3.5 billion in purchases," added Enderle, chief of accountability for the Security Assistance Office.U.S. Brig. Gen. Charles Luckey said the defense deals would "give each nation a wide variety of training opportunities," while an official from the security agency said they signaled "a commitment to a long-term relationship."An Iraqi defense ministry spokesman said that officials from Baghdad planned to travel to the United States as part of the defense sales agreement, but he did not provide a date for the trip.Defense Minister Abdel Qader Jassem Mohammed also will visit the United States, spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said."The military agreements are to supply Iraq with equipment and weapons. We have a desire that our army get American weapons because they are considered the best in the world," he said.Iraq's total annual budget for 2009 has allocated $8 billion for the country's security and defense.The budget has already been cut twice - first from $80 billion to $67 billion, and then down to $62 billion - because of the plummeting price of oil, Iraq's main source of income.

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