The Obama administration is reportedly blocking attempts by Middle East allies to fly weapons to the Kurds fighting against Islamic State militants in Iraq.
Some of America's closest allies say that Western leaders like President Obama and Britain's David Cameron are showing poor strategic leadership when it comes to the increasing threat posed by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, according to The Telegraph.
Top officials from Gulf states say that they have failed to persuade Obama to directly arm the Kurds. They are so frustrated that they plan to "go it alone" and supply heavy weapons to the Kurds regardless of what American or Iraqi authorities say. So far, the U.S. has insisted that all weapons be funneled through Baghdad to the Kurds, according to The Telegraph.
The U.S. Senate recently voted down an amendment that would have allowed the U.S. to bypass Baghdad and directly arm Kurdish fighters, reported The Associated Press.
At least one Arab nation is considering directly bucking the Obama administration and arming the Peshmerga without approval. Others say they have become irritated by the lack of direction from the U.S. In some cases, militants have been clearly identified and targeted, but the U.S. has prevented allies from engaging them.
The officials told The Telegraph that they are looking for new ways to fight the Islamic State group without getting approval from the U.S.
"If the Americans and the West are not prepared to do anything serious about defeating Isil, then we will have to find new ways of dealing with the threat," a senior Arab government official told The Telegraph. "With Isil making ground all the time we simply cannot afford to wait for Washington to wake up to the enormity of the threat we face."
The Peshmerga have been receiving support from the Kurds but are reportedly fighting with makeshift weapons and Soviet-era equipment. The Kurds are also fighting against heavy U.S. weaponry that the Islamic State group confiscated from Iraqi forces who fled battle. U.S. commanders have blocked arms sent from Europe to the Kurds, according to the newspaper.
