Iraqi authorities at Baghdad airport have ordered a plane loaded with weapons and ammunition bound for the Kurdistan Region return to Sweden.
A Kurdish MP in the capital says that the federal government inspected the plane on arrival in Baghdad, and on discovering the cargo destined for Erbil, ordered its return to Sweden.
Shakhawan Abdullah, member of the Iraqi Security and Defense Committee, on Tuesday told BasNews, “There is an office at Baghdad airport for US planes over which nobody has the authority to prevent them landing. However, the government refused to let this Swedish plane on its onward journey to Erbil, on account of it carrying prohibited weapons,” said Abdullah.
“The plane carried two deliveries of weapons. One for the Kurdistan Region and the other for the Iraqi army.”
Abdullah said this latest action by Baghdad has caused the US to ask the Swedish government to stop sending weapons to Iraq.
The Kurdistan Regional Government is holding a 1,200 km frontline against Islamic State, and relies on international support to arm the Peshmerga.
basnews.com
