Iraq F-16s Join Anti-ISIS Air Campaign

Iraqi F-16s have joined the air campaign against ISIS terrorists, Iraqi Air Force Commander Anwar Hamad Amin announced during a press conference in Baghdad on Sunday. “The blows of these aircrafts [sic] were accurate and carried out based on accurate intelligence,” said Amin, according to IraqiNews.com. However, he also urged citizens to “stay away from the headquarters of the organization in order not to be subjected to harm.” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook praised “the Iraqi Air Force for its successful use of this cutting edge aircraft in the international campaign to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL.” Iraqi F-16 pilots trained with the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Ariz., after the initial two aircraft were delivered in December 2014 because of the shaky security situation in Iraq. While in Arizona, one Iraqi F-16 was lost in a fatal crash. Four F-16s were ferried to Balad, Iraq, on July 13. “The United States is committed to building a strategic partnership with Iraq and the Iraqi people and we will continue to work with the Government of Iraq on the delivery of the remaining aircraft as they become available within the framework of the production schedule,” said Cook. Amin also noted that “what happened is the result of great cooperation between Iraq and America,” reported the Iraqi news organization. (Cook statement.)