[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi air force has received a new batch of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the United States, bolstering the country’s fledging air force amid more than two years of fighting with ISIS, a front man said Monday as attacks in and near Baghdad killed six people.Defense Ministry’s front man, Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that the new batch consisted of four fighter jets. Ibraim did not give more details or say when the next shipment will be delivered.
With the new arrivals, Iraq has now eight F16s in service, out of 36 fighter jets the US agreed to sell to Baghdad.
| I keep thinking the Iraqis would be better off with a few squadrons of A-29 Super Tucanos. Not nearly as flashy as an F-16 but cheaper, easier to fly and maintain, and will do everything they need done. |
Two more non-combatants were killed in another bomb kaboom in a commercial area in Baghdad’s western Eskan neighborhood. That attack also maimed eight people, another police officer said.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
No group immediately grabbed credit for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of the ISIS group, which often targets commercial areas and large gatherings.
Iraq has been going through its worst crisis since summer 2014 when ISIS Lions of Islam captured much of the country’s north and the west, including the second-largest city of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
. Despite major ground loses since last year, ISIS still controls key areas.
Iraq heavily depended on aging Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25 jets. In 2014, the country received Sukhoi Su-25 jets from Russia and Iran to help combat ISIS.