MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - The delivery of weapons from Russia to Iraq has significantly helped Iraqi forces in the fight against terrorism, Iraqi Communist Party Secretary General Hamid Majid Musa told International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya on Thursday.
"Arms delivered recently from Russia are a great help to the Iraqi forces in their fight with terrorism," Musa said. "It was noble of Russia."
"The Iraqi people are very grateful to Russia for its fast reaction. Russia has been quick to provide support to the Iraqi armed forces," he added, noting deliveries of helicopters, armored vehicles and light weapons.
On October 1, according to the Iraqi Defense Ministry and Iraqi army, the country received modern air defense systems and TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems from Russia, following a prior delivery of the Mi-35M helicopters.
The secretary general emphasized that the Iraqi people would very much like Russia to maintain a presence in Iraq and continue to participate in the fight against the IS.
Musa added that the support of other countries was essential as well, speaking in favor of airstrikes, support in logistics, the exchange of intelligence, and the delivery of weapons.
The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is an extremist group that has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. It launched attacks in northern Iraq in Jun 2014, also announcing the establishment of a caliphate on the captured territories.
The US-led coalition against the IS has been carrying out airstrikes on the militants' positions in Iraq and Syria, trying to hamper the IS advance.
