ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Russia will provide the Kurdistan region’s Peshmerga forces with protective equipment to counter the effects of chemical weapons used by the Islamic State, according to sources close to the Russian Information Center in Baghdad.
The sources said the equipment arrived Monday in Baghdad, and will be delivered to both Peshmerga forces and armed forces of the central government, both of which are in great need of chemical protective equipment due to ISIS’ increased use of the weapons. Photos purporting to show the equipment being offloaded from a plane by Iraqi military personnel were also released.
The move by Russia to equip forces in Iraq follows Moscow’s intervention and air campaign in neighboring Syria in support of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia also recently announced the establishment of its Baghdad Information Center to cooperate with Syria, Iraq and Iran in fighting ISIS.
During the past few months, Peshmerga have been exposed multiple times to chemical-loaded rockets and shells fired by ISIS. International tests have confirmed ISIS has been using mustard gas.
A lack of equipment to counter chemical attacks has been a growing concern for Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, who have frequently called on the international community to provide countermeasures. A French medical team under the supervision of one of the founders of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recently visited the Kurdistan region to deliver equipment and medicine to treat chemical attack victims worth $500,000.
Though the chemical weapons gear delivered by Moscow has been promised to reach the Peshmerga, in the past the Kurdistan Regional Government has claimed foreign military shipments do not reach its Peshmerga forces after being delivered to Baghdad.
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