ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The US Defense Secretary has announced that the US is going to allot $415 million to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and are committing an additional over 200 troops to the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in Baghdad on Monday to finalize the agreement. The $415 million allocated to the Peshmerga will be paid over several months to "pay the Peshmergas’ salaries and other necessities," Jabar Yawar, Chief of Staff of the Peshmerga Ministry, confirmed to Rudaw. The financial commitment comes just days after Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region (KRG), appealed for monetary support in Washington. “We have absolutely no problems with any conditions that [would] be placed on financial assistance given to us,” he said while speaking to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy think-tank, adding that the region needs $100 million per month to fund the fight against ISIS. “In response to a request from the Kurdistan Regional Government for economic assistance, the Department of Defense will provide these funds on a monthly basis to support selected Peshmerga units,” Matthew R. Allen, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense (DoD) told Rudaw. “These forces have been among the most effective in the fight against ISIL and will be critical in the retaking of Mosul.” “These funds will be provided by, with, and through the Government of Iraq, and will be drawn from DoD funds already appropriated,” he explained. “They will help the KRG overcome severe impacts from its internal budget crisis through directed assistance to Peshmerga units involved in the counter-ISIL fight – helping cover stipends and other key Peshmerga needs.” Yawar stated that the financial support is the result of high level discussions between the KRG and US officials, noting that the US has been a staunch ally, “America has already armed two Peshmerga brigades.” KRG officials took to Twitter to express their gratitude for the support. Lahur Talabani, Director of the KRG’s intelligence agency, tweeted, “We thank the U.S. government for their commitment & support to our brave peshmerga forces who have been fighting ISIS on the world’s behalf.” Masrour Barzani, Chancellor of the KRG Security Council also tweeted his appreciation and expressed hope for additional international support: “This war is a shared responsibility, and I hope other members of the Global Coalition will consider increasing their aid to Kurdistan.” The Peshmerga have not been paid their salaries for the past three months. The additional US troops committed today will be mainly Special Forces, embedded with the Iraqi forces to advise and assist and will bring the Americans closer to the frontlines than they have been to date. The US has also committed Apache helicopters to aid in the battle to retake Mosul. So far, Apache helicopters have only been used in Iraq to protect American personnel. The new commitment of troops will bring the number of American forces in Iraq to 4,087, up from 3,870.
