Kurds: Military Aid

Ministry of Defence written question – answered at on 22 November 2016.

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Photo of Julian Lewis Julian Lewis Chair, Defence Committee, Chair, Defence Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) gas masks and (b) escape hoods required to protect Kurdish Peshmerga forces against chemical attack during their advance on Mosul; what the estimated cost of supplying such material is; how quickly such equipment could reach such forces; what assessment his Department has made of the potential military effect of the use by Daesh of its (i) chlorine and (ii) mustard gas stocks against unprotected Peshmerga fighters; and if he will make it his policy to supply such protective equipment without delay.

Photo of Julian Lewis Julian Lewis Chair, Defence Committee, Chair, Defence Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent requests his Department has received from the Kurdistan regional government for (a) gas masks and (b) escape hoods to protect its Peshmerga forces advancing on Mosul from chemical weapons attack by Daesh fighters; and what steps he is taking to ensure that such equipment is supplied to the Peshmerga without delay.

Photo of Mike Penning Mike Penning The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence

The Peshmerga are playing a valuable role in the fight against Daesh in Iraq. The support and training provided by the Global Coalition, including the UK, has been a key contributor to their success. The Coalition coordinates all requests for equipment and support to ensure coherence, and has provided more than 24,000 protective chemical masks during training for the Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga in preparation for the Mosul offensive. The Coalition continues to keep this potential threat under review.

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