Iraq steps up search for advanced air defense system
Regional conflicts and international tensions, along with money, are roadblocks to Iraq's pressing interest in upgrading its missile defense system.
Iraq recognizes its urgent need to develop a defense system to prevent violations of its airspace and targeting of its Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) sites. Whether the solution will be Russia's S-400 missile defense system has been a matter of contention for many months.
Hisham al-Hashimi, a security expert at the Nahrain Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor that increased talks about beefing up security are probably an attempt to allay the anger of the Shiite parties supporting the PMU, after its sites were attacked on several occasions recently. On Sept. 14, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said the PMU had transferred its weapons to the ministry’s warehouses for protection.
