A joint force of the Iraqi Army and Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) paramilitaries patrols an area of the the Baaj desert in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, near the Syrian border, during a security operation in search of reported remnants of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group on September 15, 2024. (Photo by ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images)

BEIRUT — As Iraqi and US officials negotiate the details of the withdrawal of US forces from the region, Baghad could soon get some air defense reassurance courtesy of a new reported $2.8 billion deal to buy South Korean missile systems.

Iraq’s Ministry of Defense announced Thursday that it signed a contract with a South Korean company to procure a number of advanced medium-range batteries, “which will support the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces and military forces to maintain peace and Iraq’s sovereignty.”

In the ministry statement Iraq’s defense chief said he considered the deal a “qualitative strategic breakthrough for [the country’s] air defense as it covers all Iraqi airspace and achieves the regional balance of the country.”

The Iraqi statement didn’t reveal specifics, but South Korean and international press have since reported that South Korea’s LIG Nex1 defense firm said it will provide the Cheongung-II air defense system for $2.8 billion.

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The deal comes as Iraqi armed forces are conducting counter-terrorism operations, mainly against ISIS, and as they’ve seen armed drone attacks against coalition bases, blamed on Iran-backed militias.

With Iraq’s purchase, LIG Nex1 has secured its third export deal for the Cheongung-II system — all three Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and now Iraq.

South Korean news outlet Yonhap described the system as designed to intercept missiles and aircraft, with an effect range of 40 kilometers against targets up to 15 kilometers in the sky. (In South Korea, the Cheongung-II reportedly operates as the middle layer in a three-layered system with US-made Patriots handling lower tier threats and THAAD handling the upper tiers.)

LIG Nex1 is expected to manufacture the missile and integrated system, Hanwha Systems will supply the radar, and Hanwha Aerospace will supply the launchers and vehicles, according to Yonhap.

The purchase comes after Iraqi officials have said they have negotiated with the US for an extensive drawdown of foreign troops, a move that experts say is bound to test the Iraqi military’s ability to maintain security in the country.