Meanwhile, the Iraqi government launched its biggest push yet to wrest back ground lost to Sunni militants, as soldiers backed by tanks and helicopter gunships began an offensive on Saturday to retake the northern city of Tikrit.
There were conflicting reports as to how far the military advanced in its initial thrust toward Tikrit, the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. Residents said militants were still in control of the city by nightfall, while Iraqi officials said troops had reached the outskirts and even pressed deep into the heart of Tikrit itself.
What was clear, however, was the government's desire to portray the campaign as a significant step forward after two weeks of demoralizing defeats at the hands of insurgents led by the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS,ISIL). The militants' surge across much of northern and western Iraq has thrown the country into its deepest crisis since US troops withdrew in December 2011, and threatens to cleave the nation in three along sectarian and ethnic lines.
Iraq's large, US-trained and equipped military melted away in the face of the militant onslaught, sapping morale and public confidence in its ability to stem the tide, let alone claw back lost turf. If successful, the Tikrit operation could help restore a degree of faith in the security forces — as well as embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is fighting to keep his job.
Saturday's fighting began before dawn with helicopter gunships carrying out airstrikes on insurgents who were attacking troops at a university campus on Tikrit's northern outskirts, Iraqi military spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said. The government forces had established a bridgehead on the university's sprawling grounds after being airlifted in the previous day....................................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Iraq-receives-5-Russian-made-jets-to-fight-rebels/articleshow/37448895.cms
29/6/14
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Την πρώτη παρτίδα ρωσικών μαχητικών αεροσκαφών Su-25 παρέλαβε το Ιράκ...
ReplyDeleteΤην πρώτη παρτίδα μαχητικών αεροσκαφών Sukhoi παρέλαβε το Ιράκ, σύμφωνα με επίσημη δήλωση του ιρακινού υπουργείου Εξωτερικών. Όπως αναφέρει, πέντε Su-25 έχουν ήδη παραληφθεί από τη χώρα της Μέσης Ανατολής, έπειτα από συμφωνία με τη ρωσική πλευρά, προκειμένου «να ενισχύσουν την πολεμική αεροπορία». Σύμφωνα με αξιωματικό του ιρακινού στρατού, Ρώσοι ειδικοί που έφτασαν στη χώρα θα παρέχουν την κατάλληλη τεχνική υποστήριξη.
Σημειώνεται ότι νωρίτερα την περασμένη εβδομάδα, πηγή της ρωσικής αεροπορικής βιομηχανίας είχε αναφέρει στο Interfax ότι το Ιράκ «πρόκειται να παραλάβει έναν αριθμό αεροσκαφών Su-30MKI, τα οποία χρησιμοποιήθηκαν από τις ινδικές αεροπορικές δυνάμεις και επιστράφηκαν στο Ιρκούτ μετά από πολλά χρόνια υπηρεσίας. Τα εν λόγω αεροσκάφη είχαν σταλεί σε εργοστάσιο της Λευκορωσίας για επισκευή. Έπειτα αρκετά από αυτά πουλήθηκαν στην Ανγκόλα, ενώ τα εναπομείναντα (πέντε ή έξι) ενδέχεται να σταλούν στο Ιράκ», σχολιάζοντας δήλωση του Ιρακινού προέδρου Νούρι αλ Μαλίκι ότι η χώρα του έχει ήδη συμφωνήσει να προμηθευτεί αρκετά αεροσκάφη Sukhoi από τη Ρωσία και τη Λευκορωσία.
http://gr.rbth.com/news/2014/06/29/tin_proti_partida_rosikon_maxitikon_aeroskafon_su-25_parelabe_to_irak_31245.html
29/6/14
Iraq takes delivery of Russian fighter jets...
ReplyDeleteBaghdad hopes batch of five second-hand planes will bolster efforts to retake large parts of the country lost to rebels.
The Iraqi government has received a delivery of Russian-made fighter planes it hopes will turn the tide against Sunni rebels who have seized large parts of the country.
Iraqi security officials confirmed five Sukhoi-25 jets, which were purchased second-hand from Russia, had arrived in Baghdad on Saturday.
Pictures released by the defence ministry showed the jets taxiing on a runway towards a hangar.
Military officials are banking on the aircraft bolstering efforts by the army to retake territory seized by Sunni rebels led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant earlier this month.
Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said the move to buy jets from Russia was a snub to the US, which had promised 34 F-16 fighters to the Iraqis. Khan said the government was frustrated by delays with their delivery.
Iraqi Air Force officials said the jets would be ready to use in sorties within three to four days, but the Iraqis require technical help and parts to make them operational.....................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/iraq-takes-delivery-russian-fighter-jets-201462944837214478.html
29/6/14
Iraq asks Russia for Su-25 attack aircraft supplies — source....
ReplyDeleteIraq has requested Russia to urgently supply Su-25 (Frogfoot) ground attack aircraft over Washington’s delay in delivering F-16 fighters. A source from the military and diplomatic circles reported this to ARMS-TASS on Monday.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry has had to request Russian aircraft deliveries over the need to urgently raise the Iraqi army’s combat readiness in its fight against terrorists, the source said.
The source declined to specify the number of Su-25 planes to be supplied to Iraq to make up for the missing 18 F-16 fighters, which the Pentagon had earlier pledged to deliver..............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/738319
30/6/14