US to sell UAE $785 mn worth of bombs

New York: USA is set to sell the United Arab Emirates $785 million worth of bombs as part of the so-called campaign against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. As part of the deal, the UAE will receive 14,640 bombs and guidance kits, which turn unguided bombs into precision munitions with navigation systems, along with other munitions.

According to Pentagon statement, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which facilitates foreign arms sales, informed lawmakers that the State Department has approved the deal. The UAE is a key US ally in the region in the so-called fight against Daesh and the country’s Al Dhafra Air Base hosts about 3,500 US troops and fighter and reconnaissance aircraft used against the Takfiri terrorists. The UAE has participated in airstrikes against purported Daesh positions in Syria, but the US would like the Persian Gulf Arab allies to increase their contributions to the air raids.

US Navy Vice Admiral Joe Rixey, the head of the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) told “We are tracking toward $40 billion. We are tracking toward our forecast.”