US to arm Iraqi Sunni tribesman to fight against IS
(VOVworld) - The United States plans to buy arms for Sunni tribesmen in Anbar province, Iraq, including AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds to help bolster the battle against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, according to a Pentagon document prepared for Congress. The plan to spend $24.1 million represents a small fraction of the larger, $1.6 billion spending request to Congress focusing on training and arming Iraqi and Kurdish forces. But the document underscored the importance the Pentagon places on the Sunni tribesmen to its overall strategy to diminish Islamic State, and cautioned Congress about the consequences of failing to assist them.