US Quietly Ships Hellfire Missiles, Rifles, and Ammo to Iraq

Photo taken at Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2005 of AGM-114 Hellfire loaded onto a United States Marine Corps Super Cobra. (Photo: Wikimedia/Creative Commons)

US Quietly Ships Hellfire Missiles, Rifles, and Ammo to Iraq

Experts have warned that flow of US weapons into region only deepens political and sectarian violence

This month alone, "the United States delivered nearly 100 Hellfire missiles together with hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition and M4 rifles" to the Iraqi government, the U.S. Embassy to Iraq revealed Sunday.

In a public statement, the U.S. Embassy claimed the shipments were sent to aid the Iraqi government and military's so-called "counter-terrorism" operations targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Yet, experts have warned that the ongoingn flow of U.S. weapons into Iraq has only escalated political and sectarian violence in the country and region that was set in motion by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The U.S. Embassy indicated more weapons shipments will soon follow.

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