US Will Sell Iraq $1 Billion In Warplanes, Armored Vehicles, And Surveillance Equipment

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-will-sell-iraq-1-billion-in-military-equipment-2014-5


Iraqi government forces take part in a military operation in the city of Ramadi, west of the capital Baghdad, on April 26, 2014

The United States plans to sell nearly $1 billion worth of warplanes, armored vehicles and surveillance aerostats to Iraq.

The deal includes 24 AT-6C Texan II light-attack aircraft, a turboprop plane manufactured by Beechcraft that has .50 caliber machine guns, advanced avionics and can carry precision-guided bombs, the Pentagon said.

The aircraft and related equipment and services are valued at $790 million.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency informed Congress on Tuesday of the planned sale, which will go ahead unless lawmakers block the deal.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/us-will-sell-iraq-1-billion-in-military-equipment-2014-5#ixzz31mfjb0am

[WinkyDink]

1. "...sell nearly $1 billion worth...." Mission Accomplished!

[xchrom]

2. ...

[RKP5637]

4. Yep, tear them down, destroy them, build them up, arm them. Big $$$$$ all the

way. Disgusting!

[clydefrand]

3. stupid is as stupid does

I don't go along with this. Won't our gov. EVER learn? We sold them weapons a long time ago and they ended up using them against our troops. Did W sneak back in office??

[RKP5637]

5. The US has never been the sharpest of tools in the tool shed when

it comes to foreign affairs.

[clydefrand]

6. Let Obama know if you don't agree with this sale

at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

[Orsino]

15. Can we get him to pose for a Rumsfeld photo op? n/t

[hobbit709]

7. Like they're not doing a great job of killing each other already.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. It makes perfect sense. They'll need something to fight with when we

go to war with them in a few years. Who knows maybe they'll make a few bucks selling some of that shit to Iran.

[malaise]

9. What a nice neat way to continue looting the Iraq

treasury. War is so fugging profitable that it is needed 24/7

[xchrom]

10. +1

[okaawhatever]

13. We aren't looting $hit. They've already purchased $5 Billion from Russia plus whatever they've

purchased from the Israelis, Chinese and French. We haven't gotten squat from them. We didn't get any of the oil contracts in the first couple of bidding rounds. They gave the contracts to the Chinese and Russians who then needed our oil companies to handle the technical work because they don't have the expertise. American oil companies were eventually brought in as sub-contractors. That country has gotten how much from us in reconstruction money a couple hundred billion?

People were starving and dying before we invaded. Saddam Hussein was an evil brutal dictator who managed to stay in power despite numerous UN resolutions, sanctions, and everything else the free world threw at him. I don't agree with the invasion, but I also don't kid myself as to the situation before hand. There was nothing to loot. Still isn't.

[frylock]

16. fucking ingrates!

[WinkyDink]

18. Hmmmm. Tell me again WHY Iraq needed "reconstruction money"????????

[pampango]

11. Kind of dwarfed by the $4 billion that Russia sells Syria, but I hope the UN Arms Treaty

comes into effect. All these arms exporters, specifically including the US, will be liable for any human rights abuses associated with the arms they export.

The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs claimed the treaty would not: interfere with domestic arms commerce or the right to bear arms in its member states; ban the export of any type of weapon; harm the legitimate right to self-defence; or undermine national arms regulation standards already in place.

"The Arms Trade Treaty obligates member states to monitor arms exports and ensure that weapons don't cross existing arms embargoes or end up being used for human-rights abuses, including terrorism. Member states, with the assistance of the U.N., will put into place enforceable, standardized arms import and export regulations (much like those that already exist in the U.S.) and be expected to track the destination of exports to ensure they don't end up in the wrong hands. Ideally, that means limiting the inflow of deadly weapons into places like Syria."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Arms_Treaty#Content

[okaawhatever]

14. Russia has sold over $4 Billion in arms to Iraq. The US deal is a pittance of what they've spent

to rebuild their military.

[WinkyDink]

19. Do you NOT see the connection between our invasion and destruction and now the arms-selling?

[okaawhatever]

20. No. We would have sold them arms anyway. I don't agree with the invasion, but we didn't invade to

sell them a small amount of arms. If we'd have stayed out we could have had much more business.

[Scuba]

12. Why does this make me feel less safe?

[WilliamPitt]

17. Hm.

So, OK, we went to war in Iraq because of 9/11...wait, no...because of weapons of mass destruction...wait, no...because we want to fight them over there instead of fighting them over here...wait, no...because they hate our freedom...wait, no...dammit...I know why we went...it's right on the tip of my tongue...

...oh, wait, now I remember.

Mission Accomplished.