US HANDS 30 ARMORED VEHICLES TO IRAQ TO HELP ENSURE SECURITY OF BAGHDAD’S GREEN ZONE

Thu 31 December 2020:

The US has provided the Iraqi army with 30 armored vehicles with the aim of reinforcing the security of the Green Zone in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, the American embassy announced yesterday.

“The United States is committed to helping the Iraqi army maintain the security of Baghdad and Iraq,” the embassy said in a statement, adding that Washington had provided the Iraqi army with “30 armoured cars to help secure the international zone.”

The embassy pointed out that the vehicles were delivered to the “Special Command Division (SCD) at Al-Assad Air Base in the western Iraqi province of Anbar”, explaining that they would be used by the Iraqi army in their patrols. It noted that the provision was “one part of a larger plan by the US military’s Office of Security Cooperation with Iraq to support the SCD in securing the centre of Baghdad.”

“We will continue to work together to ensure a stable and secure future for the Iraqi people,” the embassy stressed.

Several rockets have often been fired at the so-called Green Zone, where the US embassy compound is located. Washington has always blamed Iran for the attacks.

Last week, eight missiles fell near the embassy compound. No embassy staff was reported injured, but the attack left the embassy with minor damages. The US administration has condemned the attack and held Iranian forces responsible. But Iran has denied any involvement.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated after the assasination of the Iranian military leader, Qasem Soleimani, at the start of the year in a US airstrike near Baghdad airport.