U.S. to sell weapon to Iraq even though it’s being taken over...

U.S. to sell weapon to Iraq even though it’s being taken over by Al Qaeda

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10281491_sThe U.S. will sell Iraq a new weapons system in spite of the fact that the country is being taken over by Al Qaeda.

“Yet again the Americans do not see the picture.” an Israeli defense expert told i-HLS.

As violence and political turmoil tear through a war-wrecked Iraq, military experts are warning Congress that Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist cells are regrouping and working together not only in Iraq but in the entire region to undo a decade of U.S.-led progress.

We left (Iraq) on the edge of being stable,” Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a former military intelligence officer, told Fox News.

While saying it’s clear the job was “not done,” he warned: “Al Qaeda as an entity is coming back strong within the region and is doing things to destabilize governments, which, at this point in time, are still friendly to us.”

On Thursday, Iraq’s parliament speaker painted a grim picture of a crumbling country that is taking another beating by terrorists.

“The situation is grave,” Osama al-Nujaifi said during a press conference.

Though the country’s economy has actually been gradually improving over the last few years, the attacks in recent months have been frequent and severe, threatening stability. Nearly 2,000 people died in April and May alone. The latest strikes underscored the tenuous security picture in the country 10 years after thousands of American troops were dispatched to Iraq in 2003.

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Within five years after the start of the war, concerns that the U.S. was losing control prompted the George W. Bush administration to send 20,000 Marine and Army soldiers into Baghdad as part of a troop surge. Supporters like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., continue to cite the surge as the turning point in the war, when the U.S. regained ground and the trust of the Iraqi people.

But in recent months, there are signs the country has returned to a state of confusion, distrust and despair. Presently, there are about 100 U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq.  

In Washington, lawmakers have started to question whether the hard-fought gains are being eroded by Al Qaeda’s army of terrorists or if there are ways to turn the situation around.

Few in Washington, though, want to see more boots on the ground in Iraq at this point. A leading Democrat told FoxNews.com the insecurity shows the importance of maintaining assistance to the country.

And in spite the situation the Pentagon plans to supply Iraq with advanced weapons.

According to Defense News the Defense Department notified Congress on Thursday that it is working on three deals with the government of Iraq to sell $1.9 billion worth of military equipment and logistical support to the country, including Stryker infantry vehicles, helicopters, maintenance and logistical support for its fleet of American-made ground vehicles.