Peshmerga Minister: Kurdish Forces Fight IS with Foreign Weapons

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Kurdistan’s Peshmerga Minister says that his forces are using foreign-supplied arms in their daily fight against the Islamic State (IS).

“What we have received so far are medium-sized weapons,” Peshmerga Minister Mustafa Sayid Qadir told Rudaw. “We have sent it all to the units and command centers.”

Responding to Peshmerga complaints from the frontlines that they have no access to effective weapons, Qadir said, “Perhaps the Peshmerga mean their Kalashnikovs or similar light weapons, but what we have received isn’t enough to replace their weapons,”

“But we have supplied them with enough munitions and for now the fighting is done with what they have,” he added.

The Peshmerga minister said that more countries have pledged arms supply to the Kurdish forces.

“Only some countries have sent us weapons so far, but more countries have promised supplies,” he said.

After the surprise IS attack against the Kurdish areas last month which saw the Peshmerga in a state of disarray, Qadir said that the Peshmerga ministry is now in full command of all Kurdish forces and directs the battle against the IS militants.

Several countries have delivered arms and military equipment to the Kurds, among them Britain, France, Germany and Albania.