Russia will continue to deliver modern weapons and military equipment for Iraq to fight terrorism TASS 10806163

Defence & Security News - Iraq
 
Russia will continue to deliver modern weapons and military equipment for Iraq to fight terrorism
Russia is ready to continue the deliveries of modern weapons and military equipment to Iraq that is fiercely fighting against the militants of the Islamic State terrorist group. Moscow and Baghdad have been in negotiations on this issue, according to the Russia`s ambassador to Iraq, Ilya Morgunov.
     
Russia is ready to continue the deliveries of modern weapons and military equipment to Iraq that is fiercely fighting against the militants of the Islamic State terrorist group. Moscow and Baghdad have been in negotiations on this issue, according to the Russia`s ambassador to Iraq, Ilya Morgunov. Russian air defense weapons Pantsir-S1 and Igla-S are presented by Iraqi armed forces.
     
"We are ready to supply all types of weapons and military equipment that Baghdad will require," Morgunov said. He added that Iraq is interested in the acquisition of Russian military hardware, as it is more reliable and easy-to-master than Western systems. "The negotiations on arms supply have not stooped. Iraq is living in such environment, where the permanent refitting of national Armed Forces with modern weapons is required for the nation`s surviving," Morgunov added.

Previously, the official spokeperson of the joint operations staff of Iraqi Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, Brigadier General Yahya Rasul Al-Zubaidi said that Russian Mi-35M (NATO reporting name: Hind-E) and Mi-28NE 'Night Hunter' (Havoc-B) combat helicopters play a significant role in the liberation of Iraq`s territories.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute`s (SIPRI) arms transfers database, the deliveries of Russian weapons to Iraq in 1991-2015 were valued at USD1.136 billion. Moscow supplied to Baghdad 10 Mi-17V-5 (Hip), 18 Mi-17 (Hip), 22 Mi-171 (Hip) and 2 Mi-171Sh (Hip) medium military-transport helicopters, 16 Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound) self-propelled anti-aircraft gun-missile systems (SPAAGM) and 400 9M311 surface-to-air missiles (SAM), 300 Igla-S (SA-24 Grinch) SAMs, 15 Mi-28NE and 20 Mi-35M combat helicopters, 1750 9M114 Shturm (AT-6 Spiral) anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), 300 Kornet-E (AT-14 Spriggan) ATGMs, 5 Su-25 (Frogfoot) close air support (CAS) aircraft and 10 TOS-1A self-propelled heavy flamethrowers.
     
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