US redirects millions in security assistance away from Iraq

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: Allison Robbert/AFP Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The US State Department notified Congress on Tuesday that it is redirecting $52 million in foreign military financing away from Tunisia, Iraq, Slovakia, and North Macedonia. “Thank you, President Trump and Secretary Rubio, for redirecting millions in security assistance away from Tunisia and Iraq and providing it instead to our partners in this hemisphere,” US Representative Joe Wilson said in a statement on X. According to statements from the US Department of State, the funds are being reallocated to Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. The funds would battle drug-related terrorism, help safeguard the Panama Canal, and prevent foreign enemies from gaining strategic footholds in the Western Hemisphere, according to the US State Department. The change followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, during which he affirmed a strategy prioritizing the Western Hemisphere to secure borders, control immigration, and combat organized crime. The shift results in a reduction of security aid for Tunisia, Iraq, Slovakia, and North Macedonia, although it does not entirely eliminate funding for these countries. The specific amount of remaining funds allocated to them has not been disclosed.