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U.S. Names Seven Countries To Send Arms To Iraqi Kurds


Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel has said seven governments, in addition to the United States, have pledged to provide "urgently needed arms and equipment" to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq.

In a statement on August 26, Hagel cited Albania, Britain, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, and France.

Earlier on August 26, the president of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region said Iran had provided weapons and ammunition to Peshmerga forces.

Masud Barzani made the comment during a joint news conference with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Barzani told reporters in the Kurdish capital, Irbil, that "Iran was the first country to provide us with weapons."

Zarif said Iran has no troops in Iraq but is assisting Baghdad and the Kurds "through other means."

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

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