Estonia donates weapons and ammunition to Iraq to help in fight against Islamic State 22407151

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Defence & Security News - Estonia
 
Estonia donates weapons and ammunition to Iraq to help in fight against Islamic State
Last week Estonia dispatched weapons and ammunition to Iraq’s armed forces to support the country’s fight against the ISIL, also known as Islamic State. The shipment, which came in response to a corresponding request for assistance, consisted of Soviet-era military equipment that do not meet NATO standards and as such can no longer be used by the Estonian Defence Forces, the Estonian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday, July 22nd.
     
Estonia donates weapons and ammunition to Iraq to help in fight against Islamic State
     
The donation to Iraq included 12 120 mm mortars of Soviet origin, 140 RPD light machine guns, 66 Chinese-made AK-56 automatic rifles, 44 Romanian-manufactured AKMS automatic rifles, and 230 Tokarev (TT) pistols, along with 21,000 rounds of ammunition.

The delivery of the donated arms will be organized by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

Estonia’s decision to support security forces battling ISIL is based on the EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 15 August 2014, which supported the readiness on the part of member states to provide not only humanitarian aid but military materials to stabilize the security situation in Iraq and strengthen the capability of government forces to halt the advances made by ISIL.

Last year, Estonia donated over a million 7.62x54R ammunition cartridges to Iraq. In 2005, Estonia provided Iraq with 2,400 AK-56 rifles with 2.4 million cartridges, as well as 11 computers and furnishings for a computer lab.