MESOP LATEST GOOD NEWS : Italy to Arm Peshmerga with Anti-Tank Weapons

21.08.2014 – Mewan Dolamari – BasNews, Erbil – Italian Defense Minister announced that besides machine guns formerly used by Italy’s military, their government has decided to give anti-tank weapons to Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region.

Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti promised also that the arrival of the weapons would be monitored ’to control that the arms get where they are supposed to go.’  Italy’s decision falls in line with a number of other countries who have also sent dozens of tons of humanitarian aid to the refugees in the Kurdistan Region. Germany, France, Britain and the US’ help is hoping to weaken the IS insurgents’ stronghold of northern Iraqi towns.

Italian Prime Minister and Head of the EU Commission Matteo Renzi visited Baghdad and Erbil on 20 August to discuss security developments and talk about supplying arms to Kurdish Peshmerga forces.  He pointed to the consensus and strong will in the European Union (EU) to provide Iraqi Kurdistan with military and humanitarian support.