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By
ADAM ENTOUS
Updated Jan. 27, 2014 6:30 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—An important congressional hurdle was removed that will allow the U.S. to transfer attack helicopters to Iraq to help the government fight Islamic extremists in the western part of the country, U.S. officials said Monday.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, had blocked the sale and lease of the attack helicopters, seeking assurances that Baghdad won't use them against civilians.
Mr. Menendez had also urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to prevent Iran from using Iraqi airspace to ship arms to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Mr. Menendez lifted his objections to the transfers on Monday, aides said, clearing the way for the U.S. to move forward with the sale of as many as 24 AH-64E Apaches and the lease of as many as six more of the helicopters.
Administration officials said they had urged Mr. Menendez to approve the deal. An aide to the senator said he received State Department assurances allaying his concerns about how the helicopters would be used. The senator was "satisfied with the end-use monitoring measures that the State Department will exercise to ensure that the Apaches are used in a responsible manner," a spokesman said.
Militants aligned with al Qaeda, now known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, have exerted control in large parts of Sunni-dominated Anbar province, near the border with war-torn Syria. Violence in 2013 returned to levels last seen at the height of the U.S. war in the country.
A senior U.S. military official said Iraq is unlikely to receive its first leased Apache before the summer. New helicopters won't be ready for Iraq to use for up to three years.
In December, the U.S. delivered 75 Hellfire missiles to Iraq on an expedited basis, reflecting U.S. concerns about the deteriorating security situation there. The administration notified Congress last week of a new weapons package for Iraq that includes up to 500 Hellfire missiles.
U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq at the end of 2011, limiting U.S. involvement in the country's counterterrorism fight.
—Julian E. Barnes contributed to this article
Iraq to Get Apache Attack Helicopters, Missiles From U.S. - WSJ.com
ADAM ENTOUS
Updated Jan. 27, 2014 6:30 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—An important congressional hurdle was removed that will allow the U.S. to transfer attack helicopters to Iraq to help the government fight Islamic extremists in the western part of the country, U.S. officials said Monday.
Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, had blocked the sale and lease of the attack helicopters, seeking assurances that Baghdad won't use them against civilians.
Mr. Menendez had also urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to prevent Iran from using Iraqi airspace to ship arms to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Mr. Menendez lifted his objections to the transfers on Monday, aides said, clearing the way for the U.S. to move forward with the sale of as many as 24 AH-64E Apaches and the lease of as many as six more of the helicopters.
Administration officials said they had urged Mr. Menendez to approve the deal. An aide to the senator said he received State Department assurances allaying his concerns about how the helicopters would be used. The senator was "satisfied with the end-use monitoring measures that the State Department will exercise to ensure that the Apaches are used in a responsible manner," a spokesman said.
Militants aligned with al Qaeda, now known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, have exerted control in large parts of Sunni-dominated Anbar province, near the border with war-torn Syria. Violence in 2013 returned to levels last seen at the height of the U.S. war in the country.
A senior U.S. military official said Iraq is unlikely to receive its first leased Apache before the summer. New helicopters won't be ready for Iraq to use for up to three years.
In December, the U.S. delivered 75 Hellfire missiles to Iraq on an expedited basis, reflecting U.S. concerns about the deteriorating security situation there. The administration notified Congress last week of a new weapons package for Iraq that includes up to 500 Hellfire missiles.
U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq at the end of 2011, limiting U.S. involvement in the country's counterterrorism fight.
—Julian E. Barnes contributed to this article
Iraq to Get Apache Attack Helicopters, Missiles From U.S. - WSJ.com
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