MiG 29 til Irak

Frustrated Iraqi PM Buys Russian Fighters

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE » JUNE 27, 2014

by  CHRIS POCOCK

Fighters from the Russian air force inventory, such as this MiG-29, are being urgently supplied to Iraq. (Photo: Chris Pocock)

June 27, 2014, 8:10 AM

Frustrated by the slow process of acquiring American air power hardware, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has turned elsewhere. He told the BBC’s Arabic Service that Iraq has “bought second-hand fighters from Russia and Belarus that will arrive in a few days’ time.” Al-Maliki’s government is trying to counter a rapid advance by The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (Isis), whose fighters have overrun most of five Iraqi provinces.