Special to WorldTribune.com

BAGHDAD — Iraq has submitted a shopping list of U.S. military
equipment that included its first unmanned aerial vehicles.

Officials said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has relayed a
request for advanced UAVs from the United States. The officials said the unspecified
UAVs were meant for long-range reconnaissance missions in an effort to
improve border and internal security.

“This will be deployed in military bases in Iraq and help us face the threats to this country,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said.

Zebari did not identify the UAV sought from Washington. But the foreign minister described it as a pilotless combat aircraft, which could mean an
attack UAV such as the U.S.-origin Predator B.

The Iraqi shopping list marked the latest by a Middle East country for U.S. unmanned aerial platforms. In 2013, similar requests were reported by Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

In a statement on Aug. 18, Zebari acknowledged continued Iraqi
dependence on U.S. military aid. He said the assistance included that of
intelligence analysis and could host a small U.S. military presence.

“This would suggest the possibility of hosting American experts and
consultants in the war against terrorism to help the army deter the recent
escalation,” Zebari said.

On Aug. 17, Iraq’s leading port at Umm Qasr was bombed in what prompted
a shutdown of the oil export facility. Officials said Al Qaida was believed
responsible for the truck bombing, the first such attack since 2003.

“There is a weakness in the security plan for the protection of vital
installations in Basra, especially since intelligence was given to the
security forces days before warning that the Umm Qasr port was a target, as
were a number of other border points,” Iraqi parliamentarian Suzanne Al
Saad, a member of the Energy and Oil Committee, said. “But the warning was
not taken seriously.”

Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama has eased
restrictions on American military exports to Iraq. They pointed to
Washington’s decision to sell Baghdad at least 36 F-16 Block 52 multi-role
fighters, a more modern variant than that exported to Egypt.

“Today, we find that the United States wants to support Iraq with
military equipment not granted in the past,” Hamid Mutlaq, a member of
the Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, said.

  Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq requests combat UAVs from U.S., Nouri Al Maliki, Predator B drone