Baghdad, Sept 30(ANI): The US Army will handover military equipment worth millions of dollars to Iraq rather than ship the hardware to its home country, as 45,000 American troops prepare to withdraw from Iraq by December 31.
Pentagon planners estimate that 3.47 million equipment pieces worth 313 million dollars would be handed over to the Iraqi Government, Fox News reports.
US Forces spokesperson for Iraq, Major General Jeffrey Buchanan said it would be expensive to carry these supplies to the home country along with the troops.
He, however, said the US military would not relinquish any weapons, humvees, tanks or heavily armored vehicles.
"It seems to me we really have three choices. We can either leave the equipment to whoever may find it, basically abandon it as we transition the base, or we can pay the millions of dollars it would take to move this equipment back to the United States," he said.
"Or we can maintain complete accountability of it and transfer it to the government of Iraq, who may still be able to get some use out of it, " he added.
Military officials estimate that American taxpayers will save 600 million dollars by leaving behind the equipment in Iraq.
Also, it would be more cost-effective to leave behind equipment in Iraq rather than to carry it back to the US in the wake of looming budget cuts.
The most valuable equipment, which comprised 1.5 million items, has already been shipped home in the past 12 months. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
