An American cargo jet loaded with weapons to help the Iraqi military fight Al Qaeda recently arrived in Baghdad, Martha Raddatz of ABC reported Thursday on World News Tonight.
The jet was loaded with 2400 rockets to arm Iraqi attack helicopters as they battle Al Qaeda in the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.
Both cities have become hotbeds for the terrorists. Fallujah in particular is under the increasingly stringent rule of Al Qaeda.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Robert Beecroft said there are approximately 2000 "hardcore" Al Qaeda fighters in the country. "It's very much in our interest to have an Iraq that is stable, and not to have sectarian conflict or an Al Qaeda presence that can be used to destabilize the rest of the region and potentially at some point as a platform to attack targets beyond the region," Beecroft added.
Raddatz concluded American weapons shipments to Baghdad will soon extend beyond small arms to tank shells and hellfire missiles.