In a growing list of Kurd supporters, reports this week indicate the Iraqi peshmerga may soon be getting a fresh weapons shipment from the Czech Republic.
Czech Minister of Defense Martin Stropnický told a State Security Council meeting Tuesday evening it was "very probable" his county would be directly sending light weapons like machine guns and other arms to the Iraqi Kurdish forces, Radio Prague reported. This isn't the first time the Czech government's supported the militia—hand grenades and ammunitions donations have also been approved in the past.
Pending the delivery is Prague's discussion with US officials, Stropnicky said, as the arms would be tranferred through American forces in Iraq.
This comes days after the US approved a weapons transfer of its own to Syrian Kurds fighting Daesh (ISIS) near th Turkish border. As Russia's presence in Syria intensifies and the US's train and equip program for Syrian rebels deteriorates, ramped up support for Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria is coming with renewed interest from Western powers.
But Kurdish parties are also coming out in favor of Moscow's strikes—last week, Syrian Kurdish militia People's Protection Unit (YPG) said it would welcome strikes against Daesh (ISIS) positions in Syria, while the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq announced this week it also wanted help from Moscow.
